Truth to be told, Mercedes-EQ’s debut in Malaysia was supposed to be done by the higher-end EQC which was previewed to the local media back in June 2019 during the launch of S 560 e and C 300 e plug-in hybrids. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia initially planned to launch it in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic has apparently damped their effort. Nevertheless, the company’s commitment to EV remained intact as they have signed an MoU with Petronas and EV Connection last year to deploy JomCharge DC Fast EV chargers at five selected Petronas stations within the first half of 2022. This project is meant to provide end-to-end fast chargers coverage between North-South Expressway and part of East-Coast Expressway. In a press statement to mark the partnership, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, Michael Jopp said that the Mercedes-EQ “offensive strategy” begins in 2022 and the company is indeed planning to introduce its premium all-electric models in our market. Hence, the EQA seems like a good starting point given its market position. GLA (upper two) vs EQA (bottom two). [Images: Mercedes-Benz.]At a glance, the EQA may look like an identical twin of the GLA although it is not hard to differentiate them apart as the all-electric SUV features a completely closed black grille together with an LED light strip on top of it which seamlessly “connects” the vehicle’s LED headlamps. The EQA also features a tapered LED light strip on its back, which is why Mercedes-Benz has repositioned the licence plate area to the rear bumper. The teaser didn’t provide any indication regarding the EQA variant that the company will bring over to Malaysia though. At the moment, the model can be obtained in three versions including the base EQA 250 which is equipped with a 140kW engine with a front-wheel-drive layout alongside a 66.5 kWh battery that gives it a maximum travel range of around 426km (WLTP cycle). [Image: Mercedes-Benz.]Meanwhile, there are also the all-wheel-drive models which include the EQA 300 4MATIC and EQA 350 4MATIC. Both of them are equipped with the same 66.5kWh battery too but their engine delivers much higher output at 168kW and 215kW, respectively together with a travel range of between 400 to 432km. Charging-wise, Mercedes-Benz claims that EQA takes around 30 minutes of charging time to have its battery from 10% to 80% when plugged into a 100kW DC fast charger. On the other hand, the onboard 11kW AC charger takes five hours and 45 minutes to fill up its battery. [Image: Mercedes-Benz.]Naturally, the price tag is something that we have to wait for Mercedes-Benz to announce themselves. Nevertheless, the petrol-powered GLA 250 AMG Line currently has a starting price of RM271,165 in case you need a comparison point though.
