Author: KMKM
No matter how much resistance there is, electric vehicles are a major trend in the future. The major automobile manufacturers have a profound understanding of this, especially those manufacturers who needed to purchase energy credits from other car companies in the previous year.
Therefore, we can see that the current large factories have spent considerable resources on researching and producing new energy vehicles, even the luxury brands. In December last year, Mercedes-Benz released the product roadmap of the EQ series. At that time, Mercedes-Benz stated that it would continue to launch four models of EQA, EQB, EQS, and EQE and two SUV products based on EQS and EQE, totaling six new cars. The first two models to arrive around us are the entry-level models EQA and EQB.
First look at EQA, this car has been released overseas in January of this year, and it was said that it would be domestically produced this year. And what is circulating online this time is the Beijing Mercedes-Benz domestically produced EQA 260. In terms of appearance, the new car has some differences from the EQA300 that started pre-sale before, but overall there is not much change.
In terms of appearance, EQA and the discontinued GLA are quite similar, and they both have a small SUV style. In terms of body size, the two cars are quite close. EQA’s length, width, and height are 4463/1834/1624 mm, and the wheelbase is 2729 mm. For reference, the length, width, and height of GLA are 4427/1834/1610 mm, and the wheelbase is 2729 mm. The similar styling and body size parameters of the two cars also inevitably raise doubts about the interior space performance of EQA.
The new car offers 18-inch and 19-inch optional wheels, and chrome-plated door handles will be provided on the high-end models.
Although interior pictures have not been released, it is expected that they will not be much different from the previous release. The overall style will be similar to the new A-Class, with dual-screen, round air vents, new-style steering wheel, and other elements creating a well-designed ambiance.The EQA 260 will be equipped with a single-motor drive system and maximum output of 140 kW, as well as a ternary lithium battery. However, the battery capacity and range information are not yet available and await official release.
The EQB is similar to the EQA in terms of exterior design and is essentially an electrified Mercedes GLB. Apart from the different front-end designs, the two cars have a relatively high degree of similarity from the A-pillar backward, and even the lower parts of the third-row side windows are almost identical.
However, the EQB’s rear end is more rounded, and after moving the license plate frame down, the overall sense of unity of the tailgate becomes stronger. After the addition of a one-piece taillight, there is a significant difference in appearance compared to the GLB.
The interior will also maintain the current standard of the GLB, with the usual Mercedes dual-screen design and a style that is similar to entry-level models such as the Mercedes A-Class and Mercedes EQA. The interior is believed to have strong appeal for consumers at this level.
As for power, the EQB 260 will also be equipped with a single-motor drive system and a maximum output of 140 kW. Unfortunately, the battery data and range information are not yet available.
In late October, Mercedes announced the pre-sale prices of the EQA and EQB. The EQA 300 4MATIC is priced at 370,000 yuan with a range of 537 kilometers, and the EQB 300 4Matic is priced at 440,000 yuan with a range of 512 kilometers. This price cannot be considered low. For reference, the official guide price of the Mercedes GLC 260L 4MATIC Dynamic Edition is only 399,800 yuan.
The prices of EQA 260 and EQB 260 may decrease slightly, even approaching the pricing of the original GLA and GLB. However, these two cars may not be as attractive to consumers, regardless of whether they are “converted to electric” products or not, with their appearance being too similar to that of GLA and GLB. If the prices are around 300,000 RMB, then Tesla Model Y and NIO ES6/EC6 may be a wiser choice.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.