What's the news?
This is the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQV, a zero-emissions luxury people mover that the German company is claiming is the first battery-electric premium MPV in the world. It made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
Claimed to have a 400km overall range and the ability to take in 100km of range in just 15 minutes on a rapid charger, the Concept EQV is based on the Mercedes V-Class and - thanks to its electric underpinnings - is said to have the 'greatest possible level of comfort and functionality' in its interior.
The Concept EQV comes under Mercedes' development of its EQ technology sub-brand and it will be capable of transporting eight people in silent luxury when it makes production (because an on-sale date is merely a formality for this thing). It is powered by a 150kW (204hp) electric motor mounted on the front axle, supported by a 100kWh lithium-ion battery. Top speed is 160km/h and the EQV can be charged at home, using a Mercedes-Benz wallbox or a regular household socket.
Mercedes envisages that the EQV will be used by a wide variety of customers, so beyond the maximum carrying capacity of eight, it can be specified with - for example - six individual seats, making it the perfect transportation device for VIPs. More seating configurations will be offered, with either seven or eight places on board in various arrangements.
And as it's a futuristic EV, then Mercedes says it will benefit from technology that suits its zero-emission status, such as customer support services, charging infrastructure information and even a satnav system that can adapt and take into account the amount of charge left in the battery. It will also benefit from the MBUX infotainment system and there are 'elegant, technoid' highlights to the design outside and in, to reinforce the message it's electric.
Anything else?
"Mercedes-Benz Vans is consistently advancing the electrification of its product portfolio," said Wilfried Porth, for Mercedes-Benz Vans. "With the Concept EQV, we're now taking the next step. The concept offers all of the brand-typical attributes familiar from this segment which Mercedes-Benz customers have come to know, appreciate and also expect. As a family companion, a leisure-time adventurer or a shuttle vehicle with lounge ambience, the combination of these characteristics with a battery-electric drive mean the Concept EQV is a concept car with a future. And so we're particularly excited that we will soon be able to offer a series-production model on the basis of this concept."
Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler AG, added: "The Concept EQV embodies our 'Progressive Luxury' approach by merging the analogue and digital worlds into a single entity. The EQ design idiom provides the vehicle with its unmistakable appearance and has some impressively progressive shapes. And in the interior, too, the cool aesthetics of the exterior continue, being supplemented by warm accents, like those in rose gold, which underline the 'Welcome Home effect'. The focus in the cockpit of our Concept EQV is on the new and intuitive MBUX system."