SPY PICS: Mercedes-Benz EQA and EQB outed

Mercedes-Benz kicked off its first all-electric model family in Australia last week with the EQC and now its smaller SUV brothers have emerged.

Just as the Mercedes-Benz EQC looks a lot like the GLC on which it’s based, the EQA bears a striking resemblance to the second-generation GLA revealed last night, rather than the two-door Concept EQA hatch unveiled in 2017.

Likewise, the Mercedes-Benz EQB you can see here being tested in Scandinavia appears to be heavily based on the upcoming GLB seven-seat mid-size SUV.

In fact, it looks like the only exterior changes are revised front and rear-ends. The only obvious EV indicators in these photos are a charging point the photographers spotted on the right-side rear, and the lack of exhaust outlets.

A total of seven Mercedes-Benz EVs have been confirmed as part of the EQ family, and all of them will come to Australia by 2023.

Positioned below the mid-size EQC, the EQA is due on sale next year and the EQB will follow in 2021. Further afield is a large EV based on the GLE and perhaps badged as the EQE, and the all-new EQS flagship based on a dedicated new EV architecture and previewed in concept form in September.

They may look similar to their donor models outside, but the big differences lie underneath in the form of pure electric powertrains.

In the case of the EQA, a zero-emissions battery-electric powertrain is expected deliver a driving range of up to 450km – much longer than the EQC’s 350km range (WLTP).

Like the new GLA, the EQA will be based on the German luxury brand’s latest MFAII platform, bringing a 30mm longer wheelbase, a 100mm increase in height and a body length that is reduced by 20mm over the current GLA.

This points to a roomier interior, with raised seat heights and improved luggage-carrying capabilities, but the EQB will be much bigger and even larger than the EQC, offering up to seven seats.