From the inventor of the automobile comes the Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ, a long name for a car to show off the company's advancements in electric vehicle production. The name EQ stands for "Electric Intelligence," not equalizer. EI could have worked, but would make us want to shout "Oh!" every time we see it. The release states: "The monolithic basic form of 'Generation EQ' unites the genes of an SUV with the dynamic character of a coupé and a dash of shooting brake at the rear end." But we see an i8 in SUV form.

That's not a bad thing, as this car looks incredible up close here in Paris. The EQ is a preview of emission-free, electric drive cars from the manufacturer. The underlying design is scalable in all respects across all models. The wheelbase, track width and other components, but especially the batteries, this thanks to a modular building block platform. What we see here can translate into any design Mercedes-Benz wants to try out without breaking the bank to redesign components. It can be used for SUVs, saloons and more. The hidden wipers, invisible door handles and the cameras over wing mirrors is styling many will try to copy. Reduced to the essentials this new look is revealing alluring design progressiveness.

Inside there are no buttons, but it's tech-packed with everything operated by soft touch via controls on the steering spokes. A 24-inch wide screen displays everything imaginable, drive data, comfort features, you name it. It's all very spacey and would possibly be akin to driving an iPad. There are two electric motors with a battery in the floor, it's all-wheel drive with axle-variable torque distribution, and in the strongest configuration it could be capable of 402 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, good for a sub-5.0 0-60 mph time. It will also have a range of up to 310 miles, presumably in a less powerful setup. There's so much innovation and tech in the car, it's impossible to list everything, but we hope a lot of it makes it to production.

Even if it doesn't make production this concept is one Tesla should be scared of. Mercedes has a ton of money in its war chest and is serious about making EVs. Although this is just a concept now it's not hard to imagine the automaker cooking up an electric crossover with similar stats in just a few years time. Obviously it won't look as futuristic as this but even if a watered-down Generation EQ debuts it should still be enough to put Elon Musk on red alert.