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We knew Mercedes was planning a big announcement of a new electric car concept for the Paris Motor Show, and here it is - the Generation EQ. It's a sleek and slick looking all-electric SUV that is designed to give Mercedes a rival to the Tesla Model X and Audi's upcoming Q6 e-Tron quattro.
Based on an entirely new platform, which will go on to underpin an entire sub-range of electric saloons and SUVs, the Generation EQ boasts a 500km one-charge range. With twin electric motors (one front, one rear) powered by a 70kWh battery stack it has 400hp and 700Nm of torque. 0-100km/h is claimed to be under five seconds.
Mercedes is also touting fast charging times - depending on the power of the local system, its Combined Charging System can suck down enough juice for up to 100km of driving in just five minutes.
The EQ is stuffed with high-tech assistance systems, including an algorithm in the sat-nav (provided by the ultra-accurate HERE mapping system) that knows the radius and length of any corners coming up and sets up the car's dynamics to best suit the road layout. Almost needless to say, it's been designed around automated driving.
The 3D map in the sat-nav can work out whether or not you have enough charge to make it to your destination, and if not can suggest either charging points nearby or, yes really, friends to drop in on unannounced. The EQ could seriously destabilise some friendships..
Inside, there's a mood lighting system that goes to full brightness when you get in the car at first, gradually dimming down to a more relaxing level before you set off. There are four individual seats, lots of white leather and rose gold highlights. All doors and window controls are touchpads, rather than switches and there are cameras and screens to replace the exterior mirrors. Instead of a traditional instrument pack and a central infotainment screen is a massive 24-inch OLED touchscreen, which can be configured with as much or as little info as you require.
On the outside, the grille is mounted in a black-panel effect front end, with a back-lit three-pointed star and more rose gold highlights in the trim and in the wheels. "Generation EQ is hot and cool," says Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes. "Its fascination lies in a reinterpretation of our design philosophy of sensual purity, the aim being to create an avant-garde, contemporary and distinctive electro-look. At the same time, the design of the visionary show car, which has been reduced to the essentials, reveals an alluring progressivity."
This is just the first model of a major plan to create a whole range of EQ models - saloons, SUVs and estates, which it is hoped will give Mercedes leadership in the electric car world. Dieter Zetsche, Merc's long-time COE said that: "in 2007, the e-smart was a pioneer of electric motoring. We're now flipping the switch. We're ready for the launch of an electric product offensive that will cover all vehicle segments, from the compact to the luxury class."