Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

The Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA will electrify the show floor in Frankfurt

Teaser image offers glimpse of Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA

By

Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mercedes-Benz is setting the stage for a new sub-brand named EQ that will focus on electric mobility, autonomous technology, and connectivity. One of EQ’s first models will be a battery-powered compact hatchback, and we’re getting a thinly veiled preview of it during this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. A new teaser sketch sheds insight into what we can expect from the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA.

The image reveals that the EQA’s front end blends styling cues from the Concept A Sedan we saw earlier this year at the Shanghai Auto Show and the Generation EQ concept introduced last year at the Paris show. Strips of light replace the radiator grille, which is traditionally made with metal and plastic parts, while giving the car a unique lighting signature at night. Even Mercedes’ timeless three-pointed star logo lights up in the dark.

Mercedes-Benz Concept EQ A | teaser

The EQA has a sportier profile than the current A-Class, a model not currently sold in the United States. The look is characterized by a more rakish A-pillar which helps lower the overall drag coefficient, and a low roof line that ends in a discreet spoiler positioned right above the rear window. Intricately designed tail lamps will remind show-goers in Frankfurt that the EQA is still a design study, and at least a couple of years away from joining Mercedes’ other compacts (like the GLA) in showrooms.

Recommended Videos

Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to what’s under the concept’s hood. The only thing certain at this point is that the hatchback is 100-percent electric, and it’s likely capable of driving for at least 250 miles on a single charge. While the size of the EQA’s lithium-ion battery pack is limited by its compact footprint, the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model 3 both show it’s possible to build a compact model with a usable driving range.

The Frankfurt Auto Show opens its doors to the press on September 12, and Digital Trends will be on location to bring you live images of all the action straight from the show floor. Stay tuned for more details about Mercedes’ electrifying new concept, which will share the stage with the hotly anticipated AMG Project One as well as the updated 2018 S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet.

Updated: Added the latest teaser image released by Mercedes-Benz.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV first drive review: ’90s look, cutting-edge tech
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is one of the oldest automakers in existence, but it's been among the quickest to launch a lineup of electric cars. It may not have the freshness of a startup, but what it does have are actual cars to sell to customers.

The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the middle child of Mercedes' electric SUV lineup, slotting between the entry-level EQB and the flagship EQS SUV, and targeting electric luxury SUVs like the Audi E-Tron, BMW iX, and Cadillac Lyriq. Like the EQS, the EQE SUV is based on an existing sedan, hence the "SUV" suffix. In a previous first drive, we found the EQE sedan to be a good balance between luxury and livability, giving the SUV version a lot to live up to.

Read more
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

Read more
We drove Mercedes’ hand-built EQXX concept, and it’s unlike any other EV
Front view of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX.

It may have the familiar three-pointed star on its hood, but the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX is like no other car Mercedes — or any other automaker — has ever built.

The Vision EQXX is an electric concept car that debuted at CES 2022 earlier this year. But where many concept cars can’t even move under their own power, the Vision EQXX spent the months after its Las Vegas reveal setting range records with a pair of epic trans-European road trips. Because while most concepts focus solely on design, the Vision EQXX pushes the envelope in all areas, from the shape of its body to the code in its software.

Read more