The Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show today, is the company’s first all-electric EQ concept vehicle in the compact segment.

Featuring one electric motor at the front axle and one at the rear, the electric athlete has a system output of over 200kW. The drive characteristics can be altered by varying the permanent all-wheel drive’s front to rear torque distribution. The Concept EQA shows which program has been selected on a unique virtual radiator grille.

The Concept EQ, which debuted at the Paris Motor Show 2016, heralded the launch of the new EQ product and technology brand. Now Mercedes-Benz is showing how an EQ model in the compact segment could look. “With the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA, our electric initiative is gathering pace: by 2022 Mercedes-Benz Cars will have more than ten all-electric vehicles on the market,” stated Dr Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

At the same time, the Concept EQA is another example of the logical evolution of the Sensual Purity design idiom: sharp edges and lines have been significantly reduced. One example of the new electric aesthetic is the light technology which features laser fibres. Here a laser-activated medium is embedded in the centre of a fibre-optic cable.

Two electric motors, with a system output that can be increased to over 200kW thanks to scalable battery components, and permanent all-wheel drive deliver impressive dynamic performance. The two drive programs “Sport” and “Sport Plus” offer a different front to rear torque distribution, allowing a choice of individual drive characteristics.

The black panel at the front end acts as a virtual radiator grille and changes its look according to the drive program. In the “Sport” drive program the grille depicts a flaming wing in horizontal format, while in “Sport Plus” mode vertical struts in the style of a Panamericana radiator grille are displayed.

In combination with the intelligent Mercedes-Benz operating strategy, the Concept EQA achieves a range of almost 250 miles, depending on the battery capacity installed.

The Concept EQA can be charged via induction or wallbox and is also ready for rapid charging.