Mercedes Generation EQ electric concept revealed

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One of the biggest stories to emerge from this year's Paris Motor Show is Mercedes' plans to produce ten all-electric cars by 2025. The vehicles will come under its new EQ sub-brand.

According to Auto Express, the company could be preparing to launch a fairly diverse range of EVs, registering EQ-prefixed badges that suggest cars ranging from a small EQA hatchback to a large luxury EQS saloon. Plug-in hybrid models could also appear, with the cars being built alongside conventional petrol and diesel models.

Mercedes will also build charging stations and sell home-chargers and battery packs, says Electrek.

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The German automaker signalled its intentions in Paris with its concept Generation EQ car, an all-electric SUV that will serve as the launchpad for the brand when it arrives in a couple of years.

A sleek, coupe-like vehicle, the concept previews some of the all-important battery technology and scalable architecture Mercedes plans to use, as well as self-driving technology.

It has a four-wheel drive powertrain, with electric motors on both the front and rear axles for a potential power output of 300 kW – around 400bhp in petrol-powered money. The most powerful variant will be able to do 0-62mph in less than five seconds and with a battery pack of more than 70kWh in capacity, Mercedes claims it'll be able to do 310 miles on a single charge.

The battery has been developed by Mercedes sister company Deutsche ACCUmotive and uses a modular cell structure to enable it to be scaled up or down for different models and specifications. It will also support a range of charging methods, including wireless.

Less has been said about how long it will take to charge Mercedes' battery pack, but the firm's combined charging system would be able to add an additional 62 miles of range in five minutes, says Autocar.

Inside, the Generation EQ gets the kind of interior you'd expect in a concept car – it's a space-age cabin that no doubt will be toned down for the production version, although Alphr says some of the technology on show could feature in the road-going model, such as the touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel and 24ins display stretching across the dashboard, ideas plucked from the latest E-Class.

Top Gear says the production version will cost around £40,000 - the same as a mid-range GLC – and as Mercedes doesn't have to build a new factory for its electric models, it'll be "all systems go" for a 2019 release.