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The EQA - based on the GLA crossover - is Mercedes' first compact electric vehicle and joins the German brand's all-electric lineup alongside its first EV - the EQC - which Stoffel Vandoorne toured around Bern back in 2019.
It's set to arrive in Europe in the spring, and will be priced from the £39,000 mark with the UK Government's plug-in grant, or a little over €47,000 in Germany. The EQA forms a key part of Mercedes' eight-car EQ model line-up, due to hit the market by 2022, which includes the seven-seat EQB SUV and the premium EQS saloon.
The signature blacked-out grille of the EQ series makes a return here, plus unbroken fibre-optic light bars across the front and rear of the car. Mercedes has managed to get the car's drag coeffecient down to just 0.28cd, so it's incredibly aerodynamically efficient to boot, thanks to a flat floor and aero-optimised wheels.
On launch, Mercedes will offer up the "sweet spot" of the range as the only initial option - the EQA 250. Here, a single electric motor drives the front axle with 185bhp (138kW) and 277lb ft (375Nm) of torque which powers the car from 0-62mph (0-100km/h) in 8.9 seconds and offers 265 miles or 426km (NEDC) range from a 66.5kWh battery with 100kW rapid charging capability - enough to see the car from 10 to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.
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Eventually, Mercedes is promising a 260+bhp twin-motor all-wheel drive AMG performance variant as well as a specification that yields more than 310 miles of range.
The car's interior shares the look and feel of the GLA it's based upon and comes with the MBUX entertainment system with either two seven-inch screens or a pair of 10.25-inch widescreen panels for an all-digital user experience.
As a Mercedes EV, it does include the marque's 'Electric Intelligence' navigation system, allowing the EQA to display the most efficient route for the driver to take, as well as the ability to precondition the battery to the optimum charging temperature when a rapid charge stop approaches - making a pause for extra juice that much shorter. As EQ owners, customers will also have access to some 450,000 charging points across 31 countries that form the Mercedes Me charging network.
Standard Mercedes safety technology includes Active Lane Assist and Active Brake Assist and an additional Driving Assistance Package brings with it a number of other active alert systems like pedestrian detection.
We're sure Mercedes Benz EQ'sStoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries will be champing at the bit to get behind the wheel when their company car contract comes up for renewal!