As part of plans to take on rival Tesla Inc and sell more emission-free vehicles to customers to reach goals in Europe and China, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz unveiled on Wednesday the EQA, a new electric compact SUV.
The EQA will initially have a range of 426 kilometers (265 miles), with a 500km model coming later, the luxury brand carmaker said in a video presentation, the first of many electric vehicles Mercedes-Benz expects to introduce this year.
On Feb 4, the SUV will go on sale in Europe at what Britta Seeger’s board of management described as “very attractive price points.”
Last year, sales of electric vehicles (EV) took off in Europe as carmakers struggled to meet the CO2 emissions quotas of the European Union. In particular, revenues got a boost from subsidies included in the economic stimulus initiatives carried out in France and Germany.
During the first three quarters of 2020, sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid models grew 122 percent across the EU.
The EQA is identified by Mercedes-Benz as an “urban entry model” and its “sustainability, versatility and fresh look” was touted by board member Seeger.
With its large investments in fossil-fuel cars, electric carmaker Tesla has made a head start on traditional carmakers and has dominated global sales. The mass-market Tesla Model 3 is the world’s best-selling EV, led by Renault’s Zoe in distant second place.
As well as pollution quotas, in some markets, carmakers face bans on fossil-fuel vehicles that are effective as early as 2030.
Source: Reuters