On January 20 Mercedes presented its EQA, a compact electric SUV, the second model of the EQ range. The German brand wants to make this GLA-derived vehicle a mobility solution adapted to customers. The first version presented is the EQA 250, but others will follow with more power and autonomy.
The New Mercedes EQA electric compact SUV is part of plans to take on rival Tesla Inc and offer more emission-free vehicles to consumers to meet targets in Europe and China.
Mercedes EQA, the first of several electric models Mercedes-Benz plans to launch this year, will initially have a range of 426 kilometres (265 miles), with a 500 km model coming later, the premium brand carmaker said in a video presentation.
More than two years after the presentation of its EQC electric SUV, Mercedes is associating it with a second model called EQA. This one is a compact SUV which is reminiscent of the GLA, itself an adventurer derivative of the A-Class. Its mission is to really launch the EQ range on the market, after a difficult start for the EQC.
Assembled in Germany and China, the EQA250 shows the same dimensions as a GLA and appears almost like the same model, except for slightly redesigned front and rear parts.
The interior of Mercedes EQA Compact SUV EV is almost a cut and paste of the GLA, incorporating the massive MBUX multimedia display, while giving passengers the flexibility to customize the interior color schemes to their liking. As for the price, you will understand that nothing official has yet been mentioned for our market, but its base price in Europe is equivalent to $57,750.
Tesla got a head start on traditional carmakers with their vast investments in electric vehicles and has dominated global sales. The mass-market Tesla Model 3 is the world's best-selling EV, followed in distant second place by Renault's Zoe.
It's good to see Mercedes jumping into the EV ring and actually making a production car. Yes. It may not have the specs of a Tesla, but it gives Mercedes people the option of a battery electric Mercedes.
As David Card notes at Torque News Youtube channel, "The issue is not to compete with Tesla. I'm waiting for the big OEM's to compete with their own ICE cars. When they do this, then I will know they are serious about electrification."
"It is always good to have more competition, but Mercedes is going to have to fit into a smaller market segment of semi-affordable, near-luxury, EV crossovers," concludes Torque News EV contributor Dean McManis.
The question is, how many EQA SUVs could Mercedes supply if it had a strong demand. Tesla is postured to deliver, and even more so when the China, Germany, and Texas factories are all running at full steam. But I think Daimler can easily build capacity as well.
Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.