At last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz showed off a concept that signaled the birth of the new Mercedes-EQ electric sub-brand. If you thought it would be a while before concepts turned to production vehicles, think again.
Mercedes-Benz will bring a series-production EQ electric car to the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, InsideEVs reports. While nobody’s quite sure what model will arrive first, InsideEVs believes it will be the EQC, which is believed to be a compact-to-midsize crossover akin to the current GLC-Class.
No matter what sort of EQ vehicle comes to production, unlike this concept, I imagine it will include door handles.
Details on the EQ lineup are still quite scant. There are reports that EQ’s first offering will have a range in excess of 310 miles, which would have it competing for the range crown against 100-kWh offerings from Tesla. The range estimate follows European standards, which tend to produce higher figures than EPA estimates in the US, so I’d expect it to be very close to the Tesla Model X 100D, which is rated for 295 miles in the US.
The Concept EQA that debuted in Frankfurt previewed some wild new style for Mercedes-Benz. With a whole lot of blue accents and plenty of light-up elements, it’s less an assault on the environment than it is on the eyes. Its dual-motor setup produces 270 horsepower, but range-related specifics were notably absent.
That’s not the only thing up Mercedes-Benz’s sleeve for Geneva, either. The automaker has already announced a tweaked version of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, in addition to a refreshed C-Class and the Mercedes-AMG G63. It also plans to debut some new plug-in hybrids, but since Mercedes-Benz mentioned that the hybrids in question will rely on a diesel engine, it’s unlikely they will come to the US, as Mercedes-Benz already canceled its passenger-car diesel efforts over here.
Geneva Motor Show 2018
