Mercedes-Benz SA recently introduced their newest concept vehicle under their EQ electric car division – the EQA – a compact electric car that’s part of their next-generation of EQ electric cars.
The EQA, built in the form of a hatchback, and which can be seen as the electric version of the A-Class, was unveiled to the SA media in Cape Town early this month.
This is just a year after the premium carmaker premièred their electric SUV model – the EQC – in Stockholm last year.
The sale of the car in South Africa is set for 2020.Speaking at the launch of the EQA, co-CEO of Mercedes-Benz SA and executive director of Mercedes-Benz Cars Johannes Fritz said they were already playing around with the idea of an additional car in the EQ portfolio in a bid to offer a comprehensive electric mobility ecosystem of products, services and innovations.
The concept EQA features an electric motor on the front axle and one at the rear for an all-wheel drive powertrain, and has a system output of over 200kW which translates to a battery power range of about 400km.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the EQA will have two drive programmes, Sport and Sport Plus, with the ability to distribute torque between the two axles.
Mercedes says the digital black panel grille of the EQA concept car will change its look according to the selected drive programmes.Said Fritz: “Mercedes is driving a three-lane system strategy across all vehicle segments with electric models (EQ), plug-in hybrids (EQ Power) and electrified combustion engines [EQ Boost].
We’re preparing for the future with our business models changing as we become disrupters, breakdown norms and to ready ourselves for the great transformations that the automotive industry is currently undergoing.
We believe the key ingredient to achieving success in the future is to best connect the dots in this new era,” he said.
Mercedes works on developing products that are environmentally compatible in their market segments.
Daimler AG set itself the target of reducing the use of primary raw materials for electric drives by 40% by 2030. Apart from the economical use of resources, the reconditioning of components and the recycling of the raw materials used play an important role too.
This holistic approach also includes the use of car batteries in stationary energy-storage devices.
“The Mercedes-Benz EQ brand and technology encapsulates all the electric know-how of Mercedes-Benz Cars. By 2022, Mercedes will offer about 10 purely electrically driven vehicles in every production series,” says Fritz.
Mercedes-Benz Cars SA marketing director Selvin Govender said the EQC was set to be produced at the Mercedes plant in Bremen from 2019, for delivery to SA customers in 2020 while the production date of the EQA was yet to be decided...