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Boxed CEO Chieh Huang said in an interview on CNBC’s “TechCheck” that gas prices are driving up costs for the online grocer.
He said for fresh foods, such as beef, the company has had to pass on some of the higher prices to customers.
Groceries are one of the major categories surging in price, with inflation at its highest levels since the early 1980s.

Online grocer Boxed CEO Chieh Huang said shoppers may have to get used to paying more to fill up the fridge and pantry — especially if gas prices stay elevated.
Huang told CNBC’s “TechCheck” higher fuel prices are the main driver of steeper costs in the company’s e-commerce business. Boxed sells bulk groceries, which are shipped to households and corporate offices. It went public last year through an SPAC merger.

“We certainly don’t see price abatement anytime soon, but we’ll do what we can to keep them low,” he said, adding the company is using its own software, a transportation management system and multiple carriers to keep prices down.
Groceries are one of the major categories surging in price, with inflation at its highest levels since the early 1980s. Food prices rose 1% in March and 8.8% over the past year, according to to the Labor Department. Some of those pricier food items include ground beef, rice, citrus fruits and fresh vegetables.
Gasoline prices jumped by 18.3% in March, according to the Labor Department, which is making it costlier to move food across the country.
Those rising prices have inspired some retailers — including Boxed’s bulk-selling competitors like Walmart-owned Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale and Costco — to emphasize cheaper gas prices and play up other gas perks.
Huang said he expects to see a “demand shift” in consumers’ shopping patterns, which could include buying in bulk for a better value.

Boxed, which began with pantry staples, has expanded into fresh foods. Huang said some of those items, such as beef, have been faced some of the hardest price hits.
“There’s certain things like that where there’s nothing that we can do but pass some of those costs along to those customers,” he said.
Huang said Boxed is finding one bright spot in the return of workers to corporate offices.
Prior to the pandemic, he said, about 25% of sales came from businesses, such as companies stocking up on snacks for employees. The business-to-business side of Boxed is faster growing, more lucrative and stickier than the consumer business, Huang said.
“We’re definitely looking forward to seeing, ‘Hey, what happens in a post-Covid world as people come back not five days a week to the office, but even one day a week, three days a week?'” he said. “It’s going to force offices to begin to restock their pantries.”

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Veteran physician and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has close ties to members of the wealthy du Pont family.
Oz, who amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune as the host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” is related to Ben duPont by way of the men’s respective marriages to sisters Lisa and Laura Lemole.
Ben duPont has donated $70,000 to a political action committee that’s solely dedicated to helping Oz’s run for Senate.

Mehmet Oz, celebrity physician and U.S. Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event at a restaurant in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022.
Nate Smallwood | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Veteran physician and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has little-known, but close ties to the heirs of the DuPont chemical fortune who are financially backing Oz’s Senate run, according to a review of campaign finance records.
Oz, who amassed his own multimillion-dollar fortune as the host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” is related to Ben duPont by way of the men’s respective marriages to sisters Lisa and Laura Lemole. DuPont, who uses a slightly different spelling of the du Pont family name on his company website and LinkedIn, has donated $70,000 to a political action committee that’s solely dedicated to helping Oz’s run for Senate. Oz has also received $50,000 in speaking fees from a political group founded by Ben duPont’s late father, former Delaware Gov. Pete du Pont, who died last year.

The family ties also overlap with various business ventures founded by Ben duPont, according to Oz’s most recent financial disclosure forms.
Oz, who was recently endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is currently in a Republican primary battle for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat with former Bridgewater CEO Dave McCormick. The closely watched primary race on May 17 and the later general election to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey this fall could play a key role in determining the balance of power in the Senate. The Cook Political Report marks the seat as a toss-up. A Real Clear Politics poll shows McCormick with an edge over Oz. And with the Senate currently split 50-50, the race is a critical one to watch to see which party will control that chamber in 2023.
Though Ben duPont doesn’t work in the oil and gas business or for the DuPont corporation, a win for Oz in Pennsylvania could be good news for the company founded by his grandfather’s great-great grandfather in 1802 in Wilmington, Delaware. Oz has become an outspoken advocate on the need for increased hydraulic fracking, a controversial method of extracting oil and gas from difficult-to-drill land that’s long been opposed by climate change activists. He’s teamed up on the campaign trail with the likes of Harold Hamm, chairman of Continental Resources which specializes in natural gas exploration, according to a report.
Ben duPont’s brother, Eleuthere I. du Pont, has an identical name as the company’s founder and sits on the DuPont corporation’s board. The company spent more than $400,000 lobbying Congress and the White House in the first three months of the year on issues ranging from climate change to the construction of the Keystone Pipeline, according to the corporation’s most recent lobbying disclosure reports.
The influential du Pont family has a net worth of $16 billion and some 4,000 heirs to that fortune, which primarily comes from DuPont, one of the oldest chemical companies in the world, according to Forbes. DuPont’s global headquarters are based in Wilmington, but one of its chemical plants is located in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania.

While the company’s political action committee has not backed any of the candidates in the Pennsylvania Senate race, individual members of the family have, according to Federal Election Commission records and data from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group. A spokesman for chemical giant DuPont declined to comment.
Ben duPont, who co-founded the technology consulting firm yet2 and ran the now-defunct venture capital fund yet2Ventures, is one of Oz’s biggest backers from the du Pont family so far. Oz’s wife’s father, cardiology surgeon Dr. Gerald Lemole, who isn’t a du Pont, donated $1 million in January to the American Leadership Action political action committee, a pro-Oz super PAC. Ben duPont, a yet2 spokesperson and a representative from the Oz campaign did not return requests for comment.
Though duPont doesn’t directly work for the DuPont company, his advisory firm yet2 lists the corporate giant on its website as one of the original corporate funders of the firm.
Ben duPont donated $50,000 to the American Leadership Action PAC in late December. The super PAC is solely backing Oz’s Senate run.
The du Pont heir has also contributed two $2,900 checks, one earmarked for the primary election and the other directed to the general election, directly to Oz’s campaign — the most an individual can directly give to a campaign in an election, according to FEC records.
He then contributed another $20,000 to the same PAC in February, the records show. Super PACs can spend and raise an unlimited amount of money. The super PAC has spent more than $1 million opposing McCormick’s campaign for the Senate, according to Center for Responsive Politics.
In January, Ben duPont and his wife Laura co-hosted a massive Oz campaign fundraising event in Wilmington, according to an invite. The invite says donors were asked to give up to $5,800 per person.
Separately, Oz was paid $50,000 in 2020 by GOPAC, a GOP political organization founded by Ben duPont’s late father.
GOPAC, which was once led by former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, describes itself on its website as a resource for Republican candidates “for coaching and best practices on effective ways to communicate conservative ideas and solutions.”
GOPAC Executive Director Jessica Curtis told CNBC in an email that the former governor wasn’t involved with arranging Oz’s speaking engagements for the group, but she confirmed that Oz has spoken to them. The two $25,000 payments covered Oz’s fees for two speeches to GOPAC leaders in 2020, according to the Senate candidate’s financial disclosure.
Oz promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine to combat Covid-19 in one of those GOPAC speeches, according to a link to his talk on the group’s Soundcloud page. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against the use of hydroxychloroquine, which is commonly prescribed for malaria, as a means to combat Covid. The World Health Organization strongly recommended doctors against using it to prevent the virus, noting that hydroxychloroquine provided no meaningful benefit to Covid patients.
GOPAC also previously financed Oz’s nonprofit organization, HealthCorps, Curtis said, declining to provide more details. HealthCorps 2020 annual report shows GOPAC was among a group of donors that gave between $25,000 and $49,999 to the organization.
“Since Oprah introduced Dr. Oz to the American public, many have sought his advice and counsel which is why we have invited him to speak in the past. As you noted, Dr. Oz’s remarks are publicly available and can be judged on their own merit,” she said.

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Oz’s financial disclosure also shows business ties between the two men and Oz’s wife, Lisa. The disclosure lists the venture capital firm Ben duPont founded as one of Lisa Oz’s assets.
Ben duPont’s “Yet2Ventures Fund II” is repeatedly listed as one of Lisa Oz’s assets. The fund is one of a group affiliated with duPont’s yet2Ventures, according to data from PitchBook. Yet2Ventures was the predecessor of duPont’s current investment firm, Charline Capital Partners, according to the company’s website.
Another sister fund of the now defunct duPont venture capital business listed on the disclosure is “YET2VENTURES NANOPACK INVESTORS.” That asset is marked on Oz’s financial disclosures as a joint holding with his wife.
DuPont is listed on PitchBook as a founder of at least two of the related venture capital funds that Oz lists on his financial disclosure. Ben duPont’s LinkedIn profile says he was a founder and managing director of yet2Ventures until 2017. According to the firm’s website and its Pitchbook profile, it is the venture capital arm of his advisory firm yet2 and had at least $50 million in assets under management.
The values of the Ozs’ stakes in those ventures wasn’t disclosed.

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Moderna’s redesigned vaccine includes nine mutations found in the beta Covid variant.
A 50-microgram dose doubled the antibodies, which block the virus from infecting human cells, against the omicron variant six months after injection.
Moderna is also developing a vaccine that targets 32 mutations present in omicron.
The FDA is debating whether the U.S. will need updated Covid shots ahead of an expected wave of infection in the fall.

A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Giorgio Companies site in Blandon, PA where the CATE Mobile Vaccination Unit was onsite to administer Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines to workers, April 14, 2021.
Ben Hasty | MediaNews Group | Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Moderna on Tuesday released clinical data demonstrating that a new version of its Covid-19 vaccine that targets several mutations produced a stronger immune response against the major virus variants, including omicron and delta, than the company’s current shots.
The biotech company’s redesigned vaccine targets nine mutations found in the beta Covid variant, as well as the original strain of the virus that first emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Four of the mutations targeted by the updated vaccine are shared with omicron. Moderna and Pfizer are developing new shots that target multiple virus variants in the hope of producing vaccines that provide longer-lasting protection against infection.

The current vaccines were developed to recognize the spike protein, which the virus uses to invade human cells, of the Wuhan strain of Covid. But the more the spike protein has evolved, the less likely the antibodies produced by the vaccine are able to recognize the virus and fight it, which reduces the efficacy of the shots. Two doses of the original vaccines still provide strong protection against hospitalization, though effectiveness against severe illness also has dropped. Third shots of the current vaccine also boost protection against infection and hospitalization.
A 50-microgram dose of Moderna’s new vaccine doubled the antibodies, which block the virus from infecting human cells, against the omicron variant six months after injection compared with the original booster at the same dosage, the data indicated. The updated shot also increased antibody levels against the delta variant six months after injection, though they were lower than the response observed with omicron and did not show superior results in comparison to the original booster. The data has not undergone peer review by outside scientists.
The most common side effects of the updated 50-microgram shot were injection site and muscle pain, fatigue and headache, according to the data.
The clinical trial included 895 participants who received a single booster dose of the updated shot with either a 50-microgram or 100-microgram dosage. The average age of the participants was about 50 years of age, 56% of whom were female. Most of the trial population was white, while 13% were Hispanic and 6% Black in the group that received the 50-microgram dose.
Moderna is developing an additional vaccine that includes the Wuhan strain and 32 mutations present in the omicron Covid variant. CEO Stephane Bancel said that shot is the company’s lead candidate for a fall booster in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the U.S. and Europe. The company expects initial data on that shot in the second quarter of this year.

Bancel, in a statement, said the data on the shot with the beta variant demonstrates that updating the vaccines to target mutations is the right strategy to fight Covid moving forward.

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The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Dr. Peter Marks, told the agency’s advisory committee earlier this month that the U.S. has until June to decide whether new Covid shots that target mutations are needed ahead of an expected wave of infection in the fall.
However, some FDA committee members were skeptical that new shots are needed right now, noting the current vaccines remain effective at preventing severe illness. Federal officials told the committee that Moderna, Pfizer and other vaccine makers are not currently coordinating their clinical studies on redesigned shots, which could complicate the process of selecting the most effective vaccine for the fall.
Several FDA committee members said public health authorities need to develop a unified approach to adopting a new formula for the Covid vaccines, similar to the process for selecting new flu shots every year, in order to target the strain that is most prevalent.
“At some level, the companies kind of dictate the conversation here,” Dr. Paul Offit, a committee member, said during the April 7 meeting. “You often hear that the company now has an omicron-specific vaccine, or vaccine they can now link with the influenza vaccine. It shouldn’t come from them, it really has to come from us.”
However, developing new shots to target Covid mutations could prove challenging, given how quickly the virus is evolving. Trevor Bedford, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told the FDA committee that the Covid virus is evolving two to 10 times faster than the flu, depending on which strain of the latter virus is used for comparison.

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The leader of a flight attendants union on Tuesday encouraged airline passengers to wear a mask on flights if they’re feeling sick.
“This is not about extending this mask policy. It’s more about how we’re recognizing that we’re looking out for each other,” union leader Sara Nelson told CNBC.
A federal judge on Monday struck down the Biden administration’s national Covid mask mandate for public transportation.

The leader of a flight attendants union on Tuesday encouraged airline passengers to wear a mask on flights if they’re feeling sick, telling CNBC she believes it’s an act of “common courtesy.”
The comments come one day after a federal judge in Florida struck down the Biden administration’s Covid face-covering mandate for public transportation, including airplanes. The Transportation Security Administration said it will stop enforcing the pandemic policy, and the major U.S. airlines said they’d stop requiring masks, too.

In an interview on “Squawk Box,” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said she agrees with co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin, who said he thinks regardless of federal rules, people should wear a mask on public transportation if they have Covid or any other illness.
“I think if there’s anything we’ve learned from this [pandemic], it has to be about common courtesy,” Nelson said, while noting the union had adopted a neutral position on whether the mask mandate should remain because its membership was divided. The union represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines, according to its website.
Nelson said that flight crews had masks on hand even before the Covid pandemic and would sometimes ask a passenger who is coughing repeatedly to put one on. “This is not about extending this mask policy. It’s more about how we’re recognizing that we’re looking out for each other and not bringing our own problems or viruses to other people knowingly.”
Before Monday’s court decision, the national face-covering requirement was supposed to be in effect through May 3. The Biden administration had extended it numerous times dating back to last year, including just last week.
The Justice Department has yet to indicate whether it will be appeal the ruling from U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2020.

“There’s absolutely a sigh of relief from flight crews,” Nelson said. “But there’s also people who are really concerned — people who are immunocompromised, people who are taking care of kids who are under the age of 5 at home and haven’t had access to the vaccine yet.”
Masks had become a contentious issue on airplanes, causing a spike in disruptive passengers. Last year, cases related to people not wearing masks on flights accounted for more than 70% of the nearly 6,000 reports of unruly passenger behavior recorded by Federal Aviation Administration. Flight attendants had expressed serious concerns about their own safety in trying to enforce the requirement.
It’s unclear how passengers and flight crew will approach masks in the near term while Mizelle’s ruling remains unchallenged. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend people wear masks during the pandemic.
CNBC’s Sorkin sought to gain an understanding of how people are thinking about the issue in a Twitter poll. The vast majority of the initial 7,200 respondents to Sorkin’s unscientific poll say they will wear a mask “while knowingly sick.”
Nelson expressed disappointment that people who know they are sick would get on a plane without taking extra precautions such as wearing a mask.
“I’m a 25-year flight attendant. Every flight attendant knows that when you start out flying, you have to get your air legs underneath you and one of those things means you’re going to get all of the viruses and you’re going to an incredible immune system,” Nelson said.
“The idea that people would say, ‘I’m going to go on an airplane sick,’ is pretty offensive to me,” she continued. “That’s my workplace. You’re bringing that, and you have a greater risk that I’m going to be subject to your germs if you knowingly do that. I’m just talking about common courtesy here.”

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Tritium specializes in the development and production of direct current fast chargers for EVs.
Toward the end of March, BP said it would invest £1 billion in U.K.-based electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The U.K. wants to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030.

The need for new charging infrastructure in the U.K. is likely to become increasingly pressing in the years ahead, not least because authorities want to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Tritium and BP have entered into a multi-year contract related to the supply of electric vehicle chargers, in the latest example of how energy majors are looking to cement their position in the burgeoning EV market.
According to a statement issued by Tritium on Monday, the agreement will initially center around an order of “just under 1,000 chargers” for the U.K. and Australian and New Zealand markets.

Australian firm Tritium, which was established in 2001, specializes in the development and production of direct current fast chargers for EVs. Shares of the Nasdaq-listed company rose by over 12% Monday, and opened flat on Tuesday. The stock is still down around 4% so far this year.
Toward the end of March, BP — which is better known for its oil and gas production — said it would invest £1 billion (roughly $1.3 billion) in U.K.-based electric vehicle charging infrastructure across a 10-year period.
BP said the money would “enable the deployment of more rapid and ultra-fast chargers in key locations.” The company also said its charging business, known as BP Pulse, would “approximately triple its number of charging points by 2030.”

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BP’s announcement came on the same day the U.K. government published its electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, which said it expected the country would be home to roughly 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030 “as a minimum.”
BP is not alone in its attempt to lay down a marker in the electric vehicle charging market. Back in January, Shell announced the opening of an “EV charging hub” in London. Shell said it had replaced gasoline and diesel pumps at the site with what it called “ultra-rapid chargepoints.”

The fossil fuel powerhouse is targeting the installation of 50,000 on-street chargers by the middle of the decade via its subsidiary, Ubitricity.
The need for new charging infrastructure in the U.K. is likely to become increasingly pressing in the years ahead, not least because authorities want to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030. From 2035, the U.K. will require all new cars and vans to have zero-tailpipe emissions.
According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders published at the beginning of April, new battery electric car registrations in the U.K. hit 39,315 in March, a 78.7% increase year-on-year.
“This is the highest volume of BEV registrations ever recorded in a single month, and means that more were registered in March 2022 than during the entirety of 2019,” the SMMT said.

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J&J is now forecasting 2022 sales of $94.8 billion to $95.8 billion, about $1 billion lower than the guidance provided in January.
The company lowered its full-year adjusted earnings per share by 25 cents to between $10.15 and $10.35, from a previous forecast of $10.40 to $10.60.
CFO Joe Wolk, when asked about halting Covid vaccine sales guidance, said the shots are not for profit and do not impact the company’s bottom line.

Syringes and a box of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Paul Hennessy | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images

Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday lowered its full-year sales and earnings outlook, and stopped providing Covid-19 vaccine revenue guidance due to a global supply surplus and demand uncertainty.
J&J is now forecasting 2022 sales of $94.8 billion to $95.8 billion, about $1 billion lower than the guidance provided in January. The company lowered its full-year adjusted earnings per share by 25 cents to between $10.15 and $10.35, from a previous forecast of $10.40 to $10.60.

J&J reported first-quarter sales of $23.4 billion, slightly missing Wall Street expectations but growing 5% over the same quarter last year. The company posted earnings of $2.67 cents per share, beating expectations and increasing 3.1% over the same period of 2021. J&J reported net income of $5.15 billion, a nearly 17% decrease over the first quarter of 2021.
Here’s how J&J performed compared with what Wall Street expected, based on analysts’ average estimates compiled by Refinitiv:

Adjusted EPS: $2.67 per share, vs. $2.58 expected
Revenue: $23.4 billion, vs. $23.6 billion expected

The company sold $457 million of its Covid vaccine globally. CFO Joe Wolk said developing nations have limited capacity in terms of refrigeration and getting shots in arms, which has created a backlog of the vaccines. When asked about no longer providing a sales outlook for the shots, Wolk said it was unusual to provide guidance for a specific product to begin with.
“We did it last year because we understood the Street had an expectation or at least an excitement around understanding how vaccine sales might play out but it was never material,” Wolk told CNBC’s Meg Tirrell on “Squawk Box,” noting the vaccine is not for profit and doesn’t impact the company’s bottom line. He said Covid vaccine sales met J&J’s internal expectations.
J&J reported $12.87 billion in pharmaceutical sales, an increase of 6.3% over the same quarter last year. The company’s medical devices business grew by 5.9% to $6.97 billion in sales compared with the first quarter of 2021. Sales at J&J’s consumer health business, which it is spinning off into a separate publicly traded company, declined 1.5% to $3.59 billion.

In pharmaceuticals, Wolk said new prescriptions slowed in early January when the Covid omicron variant was sweeping the U.S., but picked up in February and March. He said J&J’s medical devices business led the company’s growth with an uptick in general and advanced surgery as well as orthopedics. The company’s medical devices segment has previously struggled during Covid surges, when elective procedures are delayed because hospitals are overwhelmed with patients who are sick with the virus.
Wolk said consumer health was hit by supply constraints for some product ingredients and packaging materials, particularly in skin health and beauty. However, he said demand is strong for consumer health products, notably over-the-counter medicines such as Tylenol and Motrin, and J&J expects skin health and beauty to rebound later in the year.
J&J’s board has approved a 6.6% quarterly dividend increase to $1.13 per share due to the company’s strong 2021 performance, the company announced.

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Audi is adding a “lounge on wheels” to its recent portfolio of electric concept vehicles that are designed to portray the German automaker’s vision for the future of transportation in automobiles.
The new “Urbansphere” concept was designed for travelers in highly dense traffic areas such as China as a third living space and mobile office, the company says.

Audi electric Urbansphere concept car

Audi is adding a “lounge on wheels” to its recent portfolio of electric concept vehicles that are designed to portray the German automaker’s vision for the future of transportation in automobiles.
The new “Urbansphere” concept was designed for travelers in highly dense traffic areas such as China as a third living space and mobile office, according to the company.

Like Audi’s previous “sphere” concepts, which the company started unveiling last year, the vehicle is designed to be capable of driving itself in most situations.

Audi electric Urbansphere concept car

The newest vehicle is taller than the other concepts, blurring the line of a large crossover and minivan, or “multipurpose vehicle,” which create more space and are popular in China.
“Designers and engineers initially created the Audi Urbansphere for use in traffic-dense Chinese megacities, although the concept is also suitable for any other metropolitan center in the world,” Audi said in a release. “In these urban areas, where personal space is in particularly short supply, the concept car offers the largest interior space of any Audi to date.”

Audi electric Urbansphere concept car

The Urbansphere’s interior continues trends from Audi’s other concepts. It features a modern design with wood and technologically advanced features such as a stowaway steering wheel and large video display across the front instrument panel of the vehicle’s interior.
The term “sphere” is meant to symbolize the interior space of the vehicles for drivers and passengers, according to Audi.
Automakers routinely use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a vehicle or brand. The vehicles are not meant to be sold to consumers.

Audi electric Urbansphere concept car

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Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday took the wraps off its new EQS SUV, its first fully electric SUV built domestically for the U.S. market.
The vehicle is the sibling of the EQS sedan, released last year, but with seating for up to seven people and a taller, bubblier stance.
The SUV is expected to go into production at Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the coming months and arrive in U.S. showrooms in late 2022, the company said.

Mercedes-Benz electric EQS SUV
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday took the wraps off its new EQS SUV, its first fully electric SUV built domestically for the U.S. market.
The vehicle is the sibling of the EQS sedan, released last year, but with seating for up to seven people and a taller, bubblier stance. It is expected to rival the Tesla Model X and BMW iX, according to Mercedes-Benz.

Like the sedan, the EQS SUV features a tech-savvy interior that includes three screens covering nearly the entire instrument panel. A single 56-inch curved glass surface covers the screens, one of which is a passenger screen that is not visible to the driver.

Mercedes-Benz electric EQS SUV
Mercedes-Benz

“With the luxury EQS sedan and the sporty executive EQE sedan, Mercedes-Benz has entered a new, all-electric era in the upper market segments,” the company said in a release.
The SUV is expected to go into production at Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the coming months and arrive in U.S. showrooms in late 2022, the company said. The U.S. production is part of the German automaker’s plans to produce eight new all-electric vehicles at seven sites on three continents.
Mercedes-Benz did not release pricing for the EQS SUV, but it’s likely to top $100,000. The EQS sedan models start at roughly $102,000 and $126,000.

Mercedes-Benz electric EQS SUV
Mercedes-Benz

The EQS SUV, like the sedan, will initially be offered in two models, including a “580 4MATIC” version that features two electric motors capable of 536 horsepower and 633 pound-foot of torque.

Mercedes-Benz did not release the expected electric range of the EQS SUV for the U.S., but the sedan version can reach up to 350 miles on a single charge, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EQS SUV is equipped with several safety and convenience features, including Mercedes-Benz’s latest driver-assist system that can control parts of the vehicle such as acceleration and braking when enabled.
Like the sedan, the EQS SUV has its own optional air-freshener fragrance, called “No. 6 Mood Mimosa.” Mercedes-Benz says it is “an earthy fragrance with a touch of sensuality” that was specially designed for the vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz electric EQS SUV
Mercedes-Benz

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