Paris 2016: Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ breaks cover

Mercedes-Benz showed off its image of future mobility by unveiling the brand’s forerunner in the electric vehicle (EV) industry called the ‘Generation EQ’.

Deriving EQ from Mercedes-Benz’s brand values of ‘Emotion and Intelligence’, it is meant to stand for ‘Electric Intelligence.’

"The mobility of the future at Mercedes-Benz will stand on four pillars: Connected, Autonomous, Shared und Electric. 'Generation EQ' is the logical fusion of all four pillars. The emission-free automobile is the future. And our new EQ brand goes far beyond electric vehicles. EQ stands for a comprehensive electric ecosystem of services, technologies and innovations," says Dr Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The architecture of this four-seater concept is designed specifically for battery-electric models, which is scalable in every respect and usable across all models, including SUVs, saloons, coupés, cabriolets and other model series.

Composed of a mix of steel, aluminum and carbon fiber, this allows the concept to be lightweight, strong and cost-effective.

Merging the design of an SUV and a coupé, Generation EQ is long, flat and highly emphasized by the ‘Black Panel’ front grille that houses all the LED light elements and the white-illuminated Mercedes star surrounded by the radiator illuminated by blue lights.

The rear lamps match the theme of the Generation EQ by taking up the same shape as the ‘Black Panel’ and is surrounded by an LED optical fiber in electric blue that changes to red when the vehicle starts moving and also acts as a tail light.

Body panels are barely visible giving it a seamless appearance, while concealed windscreen wipers, cameras instead of exterior mirrors and the absence of conventional door handles give it a totally futuristic look and reduce air resistance.

"Generation EQ is hot and cool. Its fascination lies in a reinterpretation of our design philosophy of sensual purity, the aim being to create an avant-garde, contemporary and distinctive electro-look. At the same time, the design of the visionary show car, which has been reduced to the essentials, reveals an alluring progressivity," says Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG.

The cockpit, as is with any Mercedes-Benz concept, is characterized by luxury.

It comes with touch-based controls dispense with switches and knobs while using a 24-inch, floating wide-screen display that presents speed, range, driving data or navigation and map details.

Two of the three spokes on the steering wheel have touch controls as well that are integrated into the OLED (organic light emitting diode) display.

Door openers and window controls are also touch-controlled.

Audio speakers are integrated into the head restraints while the passenger’s TFT monitors are built into the front backrests.

Touches of rose gold in the chrome-plated E-line moulding and the spokes of the 21-inch wheels serve as a special eye-catching transition from interior to exterior.

The electric motor has a total output of 300 kW and 700 Nm of torque, and can reach a range of 500 kilometers.

It can be charged at home using induction or a wallbox and also fast-charging. This is made possible by the European standard of Combined Charging System (CCS).

Generation EQ comes with Mercedes-Benz’s latest in driver assistance systems and navigation system HERE including Car-to-X technology that allows it to exchange information with the infrastructure and other vehicles.