Mercedes Benz EQA electric car prototype spotted ahead of launch

We get our best look at the new Mercedes Benz EQA electric car as two prototypes are spotted ahead of the launch.

In 2017, the German automaker unveiled the EQA concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It was a compact hatchback.

At the time, Mercedes-Benz claimed an impressive powertrain consisting of a battery pack of “up to 60kWh” for a “real-world range” of 400 km (250 miles, but on NEDC, so likely closer to 200 miles EPA range), dual motors with over 268hp (200kW), and all-wheel drive delivering 0-100km/h (0-60mph) in around 5 seconds.

They also said that it had DC quick charging capable of adding 100 km (62 miles) of range in 10 minutes.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz changed strategy for the EQA and made the vehicle a crossover.

We have previously seen camouflaged prototypes since the change to a small crossover, but now we get our best look at the Mercedes Benz EQA, as two prototypes with very little camouflaged has been spotted testing in Germany:

The two vehicles spotted by YouTuber WalkoART give us our best look at what we believe will be the production version of the electric crossover:

In 2018, Daimler invested around $600 million to produce the new EQA compact electric car at their factory in France, where they will be using their experience building electric smart cars.

Mercedes-Benz previously said that the production version of the EQA would be revealed in 2020 for deliveries shortly after, but it’s unclear how the plans have been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The automaker has been indicating that they plan to move forward with their transition to an electric vehicle, despite the more financial pressure created by the pandemic.

Electrek’s Take

I was looking forward to having an electric hatchback option in the luxury segment, but I am warming up to this crossover format.

It’s hard to understand the size of the Mercedes-Benz EQA at this point. I am not sure it’s going to be big enough to compete with the Tesla Model Y and other small electric SUVs entering the segment, but we will see.

The fact that automakers are currently rushing to release electric options in the highly popular small SUV/crossover segment probably pushed the German automaker to transition the EQA from a hatchback to something with a higher stance.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.