Frankfurt in pictures: new Mercedes-Benz EQA concept

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new concept car that previews its forthcoming electric vehicle range at the Frankfurt motor show.

It is the second model in its newly established EQ electric car sub-brand, dubbed Concept EQA.The larger EQC was previewed in concept form at 2016's Paris motor show, the EQA is planned to be an EQ entry-level car when it goes on sale in 2020, with a promised 249-mile range and a price that company officials suggest will put it in direct competition with the BMW i3.

“Our electric initiative is gathering pace: by 2022, Mercedes will have launched more than 10 all-electric vehicles. The EQA proves that we are serious about introducing electric mobility throughout the portfolio,” said Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche.The basis for the EQA is a new electric vehicle platform developed by Mercedes for use in all the EQ models. Known inside Mercedes under the codename EVA (electric vehicle architecture), it has been designed to allow the new model to be built alongside the car maker’s conventional smaller car models in the same factories that produce the current A-Class, B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA.

The flexible platform is designed to support either front, rear or four-wheel drive, with either one or two electric motors and a scaleable battery mounted low down within its flat floor structure. It operates on an 800-volt electrical system that should provide for rapid charging.The smallest of Mercedes’ EQ models follows the same design path taken by the EQC, with conventional proportions and smooth surfacing in a treatment Mercedes describes as its electric aesthetic. A long wheelbase provides the new concept with short overhangs, while a combination of wide tracks and 20in wheels in a double spoke optic provide a dynamic posture.

While a three-door in the current concept car, Mercedes insiders suggest the production version will receive a five-door hatchback layout, with support for up to five in an interior they say is “considerably larger” than that of the soon-to-be-replaced third-generation A-Class, owing to the packaging advantages provided by its electric engine.Like on the EQC, distinctive laser-fibre headlights emanate from a lit black panel at the front of the car, allowing the EQA to stands out from the existing range of smaller Mercedes models.

The front end also acts as a virtual radiator grille, and is programmed to alter the appearance of the new car dependent on the driving mode. In Sport, it shows what Mercedes describes as a flaming horizontal wing, with a blue hue extending out from a large three-pointed start emblem. In Sport Plus, the black panel changes to mimic the shape of the Panamericana grille seen on recent AMG models, with vertical louvres.A similar treatment black panel treatment is used at the back, where it contrives to extend the depth of the rear window and serves to house the concept EQA’s full-width OLED tail-lights.

The blue hue of the grille is mirrored in a row of LED lights within the outer and lower sections of the front bumper, the side sills and rear bumper.Very much a concept still, the EQA has a smooth aerodynamic look, with no windscreen wipers, and features the adoption of a remote opening function in place of conventional door handles and a darkened glass roof.“With the concept EQA, we have reinterpreted our design philosophy. We eliminated creases and lines. It is a bold statement for our EQ brand,” says Mercedes chief design officer Gorden Wagener.

At 4285mm in length, 1810mm in width and 1428mm in height, the EQA is a scant 14mm shorter, 30mm wider and 6mm lower than the current third-generation A-Class. It also uses a wheelbase that is 30mm longer than the entry-level Mercedes model at 2729mm.Power for the second EQ concept car hails from a developmental driveline being readied for a range of EQ models, and uses two electric motors – one mounted up front underneath the bonnet and the other integrated within the rear axle assembly. The set-up, similar to that seen on the EQC, delivers a combined 268bhp and more than 369lb ft of torque for a claimed 0-62mph time of “around 5.0sec”.

With a four-wheel-drive system supporting variable torque distribution between the front and rear axles and a battery pack mounted low within the floor structure, Mercedes is already talking up the sporty qualities of the forthcoming production car, which it hints will also offer different driving modes. In the concept EQA, the driver can choose between Sport and Sport Plus to vary the torque distribution front to rear.The EQA will feature a 60kWh lithium-ion battery to be produced by Mercedes sister company Accumotive. It is claimed to give the entry-level model with an overall range of “around 249 miles” and can be charged either via traditional plug-in or induction means, with officials claiming a ten minute recharge is sufficient to produce an added 62miles of range on a high-voltage system.

Mercedes claims its investment in US charging station company ChargePoint will help its plans to roll out a range of EQ-branded models by allowing it to offer more charging solutions. At the unveiling of the concept EQA, the German car maker announced that it will expand ChargePoint’s infrastructure to Europe as part of efforts to expand the existing charging network.