Mercedes trademarks EQ for electric car range name

Mercedes-Benz’s electric vehicle sub-brand is believed to be called EQ, after parent company Daimler AG filed numerous UK trademark applications centered around those letters.

The trademarks, which include EQA, EQC, EQE, EQG and EQS, as well as more terms, including EQ Inside, EQ Boost and Generation EQ were all filed this month, under the motor vehicle classification.

Most of the trademarks can be applied to current vehicles in the Mercedes line-up; EQA applying to the A-Class, EQC to the C-Class, and so on, while the EQ Boost trademark could be used on badging for hybrid models, much like BMW’s iPerformance badging for the 330e, X5 xDrive 40e and 740e.

The EQ sub-brand is likely to start with an electric SUV to be shown in concept form at next month’s Paris Motor Show. The model is understood to be the first of four Mercedes EVs due before the end of the decade, including a model aimed squarely at the market held by the Tesla Model S.

Generation EQ and Generation MEQ have also been filed, as has Telligent. The language used in the filed trademarks suggests a family of models which demonstrates innovation, while EQ Boost suggests that the ‘EQ’ part of the trademarks is linked in some way to powering the cars.

Official sources at Mercedes would not comment on the matter, but it has long been reported that Mercedes will launch an electric vehicle sub-brand akin to BMW’s I sub-brand imminently.

Alongside a Mercedes' sub-brand and BMW's i, Audi’s e-tron sub-brand provides the third prong of the ‘big three’ premium brands’ electric vehicle product offensives. Jaguar has also been spotted testing and developing electric modelsrecently, as well as reportedly holding talks with Ford and BMW about a shared battery manufacturing plant.