- First compact electric car by Mercedes-Benz

- Powered by a single electric motor making 188bhp

Mercedes-Benz has officially unveiled the EQA which is the second electric vehicle under the EQ sub-brand of the German car manufacturer. The EQA is soon to be followed by an array of six more EVs slated to be launched by the end of 2022.

The EQA is based on its conventional brother, the GLA, and derives the overall dimensions and structure from it. However, the biggest change is the newly designed thermal architecture and a fully-electric powertrain. Up front, the EQA wears a blacked-out front grille which seems to be a part of Mercedes’s design language for all its future electric vehicles. The set of LED headlights get integrated LED DRLs which are merged together with a seamless fibre-optic stripe running across the bonnet.

The EQA sits on a comfortable set of light alloy wheels which are available up to 20-inches in bi- or tri-colour design and are surrounded by squared wheel arches with plastic cladding. The strong shoulder lines with a sloping roofline give the crossover a coupe-like appearance. It also gets a special ‘EQA Edition’ badge on the front fenders. The rear profile looks as appealing as the front with a sleek set of split LED taillamps connected by a light bar. The number plate slot has also moved lower and is now mounted on the bumper.

On the inside, the dashboard and the cabin layout mimic the GLA but gets touches of blue inserts indicating the electric character of the EQA. The dashboard holds two 10.25-inch screens of which one displays the electric vehicle-specific information while the secondary screen is the intuitive MBUX infotainment system. Other highlights of the cabin include 64-colour ambient lighting, luxury seats with four-way lumbar support, electrically operated tailgate, and leather-trimmed multi-functional steering wheel.

The new EQA 250 is powered by a single electric motor with an output of 188bhp sending power to the front wheels and is fed by a 66.5 kWh lithium-ion battery with a WLTP range of 426km. Charging options for the EQA include an 11kW level two on-board charger or a DC fast-charger up to 100kW. It also has five regenerative braking modes – D Auto, D+, D, D-, and D—which is also seen on the recently launched EQC. Mercedes-Benz India plans to introduce 15 new models in the country by the end of the year and it remains to be seen whether the EQA will be one of them.