SPYSHOTS: Mercedes-Benz EQA seen with less camo

The fully electric Mercedes-Benz EQA was initially slated for launch at the end of last year, however it has been delayed by various complications including supply difficulties for its battery cells, as well as because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The most compact of the German marque’s EQ range was confirmed last month for debut on January 20, and now our spy photographers have spotted the model’s development units with even less disguise. As confirmed earlier by Mercedes-Benz, the EQA will share plenty of its components and much of its underpinnings with the EQB and the H247-generation GLA, given its use of the MFA2 platform.

Here, we can see that much of the GLA’s shape carries over, from its glasshouse, bonnet, front and rear door sculpting and wheel arch treatment, while the move to a fully electric powertrain naturally allows the front grille to be closed for reduced drag.

The front bumper also appears largely similar to that on the GLA, though the area around the headlamps (with similar DRLs) remain partly concealed, and it still remains to be seen if the EQA will follow in the styling footsteps of its EQC bigger sibling and include the latter’s LED strip between its headlamps.

Another development unit in a second trim configuration has also been sighted, constrasting with the white development car which appears to be kitted in an AMG Line exterior outfit. The powertrain to serve in the EQA has yet to be confirmed, though this will most likely be shared with the EQB which has been said to pack a lithium-ion battery for up to 500 km in range, with either a single- or dual-motor setup in the works.

A higher-output AMG version has also been previously rumoured, with an uprated rear electric motor to bump up performance to a level comparable to that of the internal combustion Mercedes-AMG GLA 45, which yields a 4.3-second 0-100 km/h sprint time and 270 km/h top speed from its 421 hp/500 Nm 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine.