Mercedes-Benz Picks a Name for Its Electric Sub-Brand
Last week, we told you how Mercedes-Benz planned to go the BMW route and turn its looming roster of electric vehicles into a sub-brand.
All the automaker needed was a name to slap on its gas-free offerings. Well, according to UK trademark application filings first reported by Autocar, the new sub-brand’s name is…
EQ.
Sounds smart and classy all at once, doesn’t it? And we totally guessed the first half of it. Clearly, “GQ” was already taken, and as for “iQ,” well, someone already destroyed picked that name. So, the first EQ-badged EVs will go up against BMW’s i sub-brand sometime in the foreseeable future. Mercedes-Benz also has Tesla in its sights.
Sources recently told Bloomberg that four vehicles — two sedans and two SUVs — will carry the badge, but the trademarks suggest several more. In the past month, Mercedes-Benz filed applications for EQA, EQC, EQE, EQG and EQS, as well as EQ Inside, EQ Boost and Generation EQ.
That’s a lot of EQs. Looking at the first five names, it’s easy to guess what models will see electric variants. The EQ Boost name is probably reserved for plug-in hybrid versions of existing models, similar to BMW’s iPerformance badging.
The Bloomberg report claims that the EQ sub-brand will be in place, with at least four models on sale, by the end of the decade. Autocar claims we’ll likely see Mercedes-Benz unveil an electric SUV concept at the Paris Auto Show at the end of September.
More by Steph Willems
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Ugh, names are so 1999!
EQ is commonly used in the military for Enlisted Quarters. Also: (Psychology) emotional quotient, a (notional) measure of a person's adequacy in such areas as self-awareness, empathy, and dealing sensitively with other people I'm sure electric Mercedes buyers will be very empathetic and sensitive people (guffaw, chortle). Mercedes is missing the point that so many of their buyers in the US are just paying extra for the perceived prestige and exclusivity of the Mercedes logo. Saving money on fuel isn't even on their radar. So by eliminating the Mercedes badge, they are eliminating most of their potential customers. Who wants an EQ? Probably almost no one.
WaWa is my favorite sub brand. Can I get a graphic equalizer in my EQ, so I can adjust the bass on the EQ in my EQ?
EQ. EEK. Right up there with TRD, which is just one 'u' short of a turd.