Mercedes EQ poised with BMW i3 rival
MERCEDES-BENZ IS set to build on its newly established EQ electric car sub-brand with the unveiling of a hatchback concept at the Frankfurt motor show in September, Autocar can reveal.
The new electric car concept is said to preview the planned entry-level EQ A, which is set to go on sale in 2020 as part of a full line-up of electric-powered models.
Conceived to directly rival the BMW i3 and an upcoming production version of the Volkswagen ID hatchback, it is among 10 new electric models being developed in an £8.6 billion programme. It is due to go on sale before 2025.
The initial EQ model, the EQ C, was unveiled in concept guise as part of a public debut for Mercedes’ dedicated electric car EQ sub-brand at last year’s Paris motor show. Recent trademark applications suggest there will also be an EQ E and an EQ S.
The EQ A is expected to be the volume seller of the line-up and will be priced at less than £35,000 when sales get underway two and half years from now.
Based around Mercedes’ new MEA (modular electric architecture) platform, the EQ A follows the lead of the EQ C in adopting a conventional silhouette, with a defined bonnet line at the front, traditional glasshouse around a five-seat cabin and a hatchback-style tailgate.
Secrecy surrounds the EQ A’s driveline layout, although Mercedes hints at a cheaper and simpler solution than the set-up used by the EQ C. This suggests it will have a single front-mounted electric motor driving the front wheels via a fixed-ratio gearbox.
A more performance orientated set-up, with a second electric motor mounted within the rear axle assembly and providing four-wheel-drive capability similar to that seen on the EQ C, is also under discussion, according to sources.