This week, Mercedes Benz launched a new addition to its EQ electric vehicle series. The Mercedes EQA is an all-electric compact model that will soon be available at dealerships.
The first EQ model came out in 2019 as a compact SUV. The EQC is based on the X253 GLC-Class platform and has two electric motors, and has a range of 417 km (259 mi). Last year, the EQV minivan, based on the W447 V-Class platform, was introduced as the second model in the EQ family. This model has one electric motor with a range of 405 km (252 mi).
The EQB, EQS and EQS SUV are just some of the other models expected to be released as part of the EQ lineup within the next year.
The Mercedes EQB is going to be based on the popular GLB SUV. It will have several design tweaks, like the EQB won’t need the same amount of vents and air intakes as the current GLB, so the company has the opportunity to get creative and include a wow-factor instead. The EQB is expected to have a range between 250 to 300 miles.
The EQS and EQS SUV will be at the higher end of the price range and these models will be the company’s flagship with exclusive technology and platforms for all future Mercedes EVs.
The EQS coming in 2021:
The German carmaker has worked out a steady and staggered approach to releasing its electric vehicles to market, each with their own appeal, specs, and pricing in a bid to reach a wide sector of the EV industry.
The new Mercedes EQA has been designed to attract the diverse needs of the younger, urban dwelling consumers. The model has a standard navigation system that integrates with Electric Intelligence. For example, it will calculate the quickest route to a destination and factors in the required charging stops for the journey, topography, and the weather.
The first generation of Mercedes’s entry level EVs are not expected to be highly profitable. It is only with improvements in battery production that will help drive down manufacturing costs that will eventually help with profit margins. But Mercedes isn’t waiting and needs to continue with its mass-market EV push to meet European and Chinese emissions rules.
Being the world’s largest luxury car maker, it doesn’t have time to waste in getting its EV products to market. The demand for plug-in hybrids were key to the car company meeting Europe’s 2020 CO2 targets. In fact, sales of EVs and plug-in hybrid models increased by 122% throughout the EU last year.
While Mercedes has a big focus In Europe, it will be going up against Tesla. Elon Musk has signaled its upcoming growth into the region with a locally designed hatchback that will be manufactured at its Gigafactory in Berlin. This will start to put pressure on domestic car producers in Europe.
However, CEO of the Daimler AG group, Ola Kallenius has said that Mercedes wants to also work more on producing large luxury vehicles like the S-Class and GLS SUV that will be a booster for funds needed to transform to all-electric.
The EQA is said to have a range of 426 kilometres (265 miles) and will be on sale next month at just under $60,000. The EQA could go head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3, but the US EV manufacturer has quite a lead by dominating EV sales with the Model 3 rank as world's best-seller in the EV category.
As well as emissions targets, carmakers face bans on fossil-fuel vehicles that come into effect as early as 2030 in some markets.
As is expected, every new EV that joins the market will no doubt always be compared to Tesla.
