EQB SUV

Segment
SUV

Mercedes is ramping up its EQ line of electric vehicles as another pillar of its model range, just as it has with its AMG line of performance vehicles and the Maybach sub-brand of ultra-luxury automobiles. So far it's only rolled out the EQC, but it's promised more to come. And now we know what will be next.

The German automaker recently released this teaser image clearly showing (at least in profile) the upcoming EQA. The new model "will be presented in 2020," slotting in below the EQC and confirmed to be closely based on the new Mercedes-Benz GLA just revealed.

That marks a decidedly different approach than the one previewed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show by the Concept EQA. That show car took the form of an electric hatchback closer to the A-Class hatch, and might have taken more direct aim at the Nissan Leaf. All of which raises the question as to how Mercedes might designate other body-styles as its EQ lineup grows, and will presumably, at some point, include body-styles other than crossovers. Such, though, is the importance of crossovers – with whatever form of propulsion – for automakers like Mercedes-Benz.

Last month, the German automaker sold nearly twice as many SUVs (over 20,000) in the United States than it did traditional passenger cars (sedans, wagons, coupes, and convertibles totaling less than 13,500).

Mercedes is not the only luxury automaker to pursue a crossovers-first strategy when it comes to expanding into the electric-vehicle market. So did Audi with the e-tron and Jaguar with the I-Pace. With the Taycan, Porsche went with a four-door sports sedan first, and with the i3, BMW chose the hatchback form that Mercedes has now evidently abandoned for the EQA. One way or another, you can bet there'll be more electric crossovers to come, especially from upscale manufacturers like Mercedes.