2016 Mercedes‑Benz Generation EQ SUV Concept
D Pos - The Paris Motor Show is on today, and Mercedes-Benz is using the big gathering as a platform to present its vision for the future of electric mobility. Introducing a new EQ brand, standing for "Electric Intelligence," the German automaker has revealed a new concept car that embodies its ideas about designing vehicles "based on an architecture developed specifically for battery-electric models." It's called Generation EQ and it's a streamlined, all-wheel drive, all-electric SUV in its Paris form, but Mercedes says the underlying architecture is versatile enough to also be used for saloons, coupes, cabriolets, and other models, thanks to a modular component system.
The Generation EQ car joins in the current trend among concept vehicles of replacing side mirrors with cameras and disguising door handles and windshield wipers in order to emphasize a clean aerodynamic shape.
It's a reinterpretation of Mercedes' design philosophy and aims to set a distinctive new "electro-look" for the company, as Daimler head of design Gorden Wagener explains.
As if there weren't enough LEDs on the exterior — signalling the electric drive within, presumably — the interior is also strewn with electric illumination strips and is dominated by a super wide 24-inch TFT screen that sits in the place of the traditional instrument panel.
OLED touchscreens sit on two of the steering wheel's three spokes, providing access to menus and swipe controls right under the driver's thumbs. Mercedes claims the Generation EQ is close to production.
