When
Mercedes-Benz revealed the EQA compact electric vehicle concept in 2017, most
people assumed it would enter production as a hatchback. Carscoops spy photographers have captured the EQA for the first time and
it appears to adopt the bodywork of the upcoming GLA rather than the A-Class.
That’s hardly surprising, though, given the market’s appetite for SUVs and
crossovers nowadays.
It
certainly makes more sense for the EQA to be a compact crossover rather than a
compact hatchback, even though Mercedes-Benz will soon release an all-electric
EQB as well. Not to mention that there’s more room
for the battery pack in a high-riding crossover than in a hatch – plus,
Mercedes itself has followed the same practice in its ICE-powered SUVs, namely
the GLA and GLB.
As
the photos can reveal, the Mercedes-Benz EQA is still fully wrapped in
camouflage but that can’t hide the fact that it uses the same body as the GLA.
How do we know it’s an EQA, then? Well, the closed-off grille and the lack of
tailpipes give it away. Other
differences compared to the second-generation GLA include the modified tailgate
and lower positioning of the rear license plate. The EQA seen here is being
benchmarked against a Tesla Model 3, but that won’t surprise anyone given that
we’re talking about the world’s most popular EV right now.
As
with the EQB, we don’t know much about the EQA’s powertrain. Given that we’re
dealing with a compact crossover, front-wheel drive seems likely – especially
since the EQB is expected to offer AWD as an option. As for the range, it will
probably be similar to the Mercedes-Benz EQC’s 322 km. The EQA will
be built in Hambach, France and should debut sometime next year, most likely
after the EQB.
