Mercedes-Benz Concept EQT is a pretty, all-electric luxury minivan
The electric vehicles continue to pour out of Mercedes-Benz, and today marks the debut of another, the Concept EQT. It’s the first glimpse we have of Mercedes’ new compact T-Class van, and it’s meant to be a faithful representation of what the production EQT will look like. Mercedes says there will also be gasoline and diesel versions of the T-Class, but the electric concept vehicle here is how Mercedes is choosing to introduce it.
Unfortunately, there are no powertrain specs or even the suggestion of numbers to compare this EV to others with. Mercedes left out all the vitals like range, battery pack size, number of electric motors and power. The van is technically a concept, though, so we’re not terribly surprised at these omissions.
On the plus side, we have tons of great photos showing this van in detail both inside and out. It follows the characteristics of other Mercedes-EQ vehicles revealed before it like the EQS with its swoopy and flowing design language. Mercedes’ big, black “grille” with LED lights scattered across it makes the van instantly recognizable as an EV. The headlights are narrow, stylish little things tucked up above the grille. We’re pulled in by the taillight design, too, as that complex LED light signature is intensely stylish for a van. The vehicle as a whole is easily Mercedes’ most style-forward attempt in its largely commercial-focused van lineup, but that’s because the T-Class isn’t meant for commercial use. Instead, it’s designed for families and people with personal uses that require a lot of space.
For some perspective, the van measures 194.7 inches in total length. The Chrysler Pacifica currently comes in at 203.8 inches, and the Honda Odyssey at 205.2. That makes it just under a foot shorter than the minivans we’re accustomed to seeing sold in the U.S. these days. As you’d expect, there are three rows of seating with full-size seats in the third row for a maximum capacity of 7 passengers. Mercedes says you can fit three child seats next to each other in the second row, too. As for the cargo space, Mercedes took the opportunity to integrate an electric longboard into the floor of the van. It’s stored under a plexiglass lid that is flush with the load compartment, and of course, Mercedes styled the board with a star pattern. If you need extra space, Mercedes says the third row can be folded down or removed completely.
Since the Concept EQT is designed with regular consumers in mind, its interior is meant to be luxurious. You’ll see the white nappa leather seats and contrasting glossy black attempt to class it up. Mercedes uses the old MBUX steering wheel design that we see on many Mercedes cars now. The round turbine-style air vents are regulars in Mercedes interior design, and we can already tell that the ambient lighting is rather intensive. As you’d suspect, the MBUX infotainment system is also integrated into the infotainment display, though it’s on the smaller side for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. There’s also noo fully digital instrument cluster, leaving you with a semi-traditional speedometer on the left and a power meter of sorts on the right in place of a traditional tachometer (this is an EV after all).
Mercedes says the new T-Class will launch onto the market in 2022, but it will start with the traditional fuel-powered variants. No exact timing was given for the electric EQT, as Mercedes simply says that version “will follow later.” We’ve reached out to Mercedes-Benz to ascertain this model’s U.S. future, but its European-focused debut already has us guessing that this one isn’t for us.
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