Mercedes’ smallest electric offering, the EQA, is due for its mid-lifecycle refresh, just two years after it was launched. The facelifted model will get a new front end design and changes to the rear light clusters too. There may also be some small interior changes, but probably no powertrain or range improvements, since Mercedes is already working on other compact EVs built on a bespoke architecture.
The EQA as we know it today is the result of a last-minute decision change within Mercedes-Benz, which was initially envisioning the model as an electric hatchback, basically the EV equivalent of an A-Class. However, the manufacturer decided around two years before the model was supposed to be launched that it was going to offer an electric version of the GLA crossover.
Now the manufacturer is already testing a compact electric model built on a new bespoke “entry luxury” EV architecture called MMA, specially developed for small and midsize EVs. The first model to use it is a compact electric sedan that we’ve already seen in spy shots looking a bit like the CLA - this new sedan is believed to also be called EQA and it will be sold alongside the facelifted crossover starting in 2024.
Gallery: 2023 Mercedes EQA facelift spy photos
The latter will be revealed first, sometime in 2023 according to our spies, but it’s not going to be an especially exciting reveal since we’re not expecting significant technical changes. The EQA sedan, however, actually is exciting to look forward to because it will debut a new software architecture called MB.OS, as well as innovations borrowed from the EQXX study.
Mercedes has reportedly considered bringing the high-riding EQA to the United States, but it has so far not announced a decision. Its smallest electric offering in the US is the EQB, the fully-electric version of the GLB, which starts at $54,500, and comes with a 70.7 kWh battery pack that’s good for an EPA range of 243 miles.
Source: Automedia