Mercedes-Benz will roll out the first EQ electric model from its Bremen plant within three years.
The carmaker confirmed that the site in north-west Germany will build all models with intelligent drive technologies, the first of which will be an SUV in 2019.
This first EQ model will be inspired by the EGeneration EQ concept of the Paris motor show, which was a 402bhp four-wheel-drive electric SUV.
Future EQ models
The German automaker is planning up to 10 new electric models for its EQ sub-brand, and according to Gorden Wagener, Daimler’s head of design, we won’t have to wait long after the first model for others to appear, with a saloon set to follow the launch of the SUV.
Wagener told Autocar UK that the EQ concept displayed at the Paris show is about “90%” similar to the production model with only details like the lack of door mirrors and door handles changed for production. The front and rear end designs – with a “grille” that’s illuminated from behind – will make production in both the first EQ SUV and its sibling models. “That will be the defining look,” Wagener said. Based on Mercedes’s recent patent registrations, the first car looks likely to be called the EQG.
“We will start with the main segments, saloons and SUVs. This is the first of its kind, it’s a starting point. Of course, we’ve already progressed a little bit further internally. This car will be fairly soon on the market and then we will welcome other generations,” Wagener said.
The design head also acknowledged that these will, ultimately, include both lower and sportier models, insisting it will be possible to produce these even with the packaging constraints of the under-floor battery pack that every EQ model will sit upon.
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