Mercedes is rapidly filling in the blanks in its electric car lineup, but we’ve still got a couple of years to wait before we can get our hands on this EQ baby electric sedan. The company has previously alluded to the existence of a small four-door EV that will take on the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4 and should make use of range-boosting tech previewed on the EQXX concept. But this is our first sighting of a physical prototype, albeit one heavily disguised because it’s still many months away from launch.
Intel suggests the small EQ sedan, which
common sense says will be called EQC, will measure around 4.7 m from
bumper to bumper. That would make it a perfect match for the Model 3 and only
slightly longer than the combustion A-Class sedan that was recently withdrawn
from sale in the U.S. but is still available in other markets.But the wheelbase
is likely to be significantly longer than the A-Class sedan’s, to the benefit
of interior space, thanks to the all-new MMA (Mercedes-Benz Modular
Architecture) platform it’s built from. The baby EQ will likely be the first
Benz to get the new platform, which is designed for small and medium-sized
cars, and can accommodate both EV and combustion powertrains.
We can expect it to borrow significant
styling cues from the current cars in the EQ family, such as the EQE sedan,
including the flush, smooth grille. But because the smaller EQA will be aimed
at a more youthful audience, it’s possible that Mercedes will be a bit more
daring with the styling.
From what we can see here it’s certainly
no carbon copy of the slinky EQXX, lacking the concept’s Kamm tail. But there’s
some commonality on the rooflines and we live in hope that the heavy disguise
on the nose is hiding a plunging hood and set of sports car-style peaked
fenders, just like the show car’s.