Mercedes are getting their arse kicked at the moment over their involvement in dieselgate, with a never-ending river of class action lawsuits. But at least they are trying to put their troubled, ill-gotten, profitable gains behind them. After spending the last 100 years making polluting cars more efficient at polluting Mercedes has, like a born-again hypocrite, found the enlightened path to a sustainable future. They have a new electric car division that will eventually cull the fossil fuel and hybridized era.

The Mercedes EQ brand is purely electric, it’s coming soon but if we’re being honest Mercedes is late to the electric car game. Better late than never. However being the born-again hypocrites they are, behind the scenes, they actually tried to stall the great electric car switch over by lobbying government. Mercedes really is quietly kicking and screaming into the new electric car era they didn’t want.

But anyway, we could go on. Behold the new Mercedes EQT Concept. It is an MPV that will be offered with a pure electric powertrain. But Mercedes isn’t prepared to let go of the fossil fuel era just. The EQT will also be offered with petrol and diesel variants, the latter being identified with the moniker T-Class. The EQT vis-a-vis T-Class will be available to private customers and as a commercial van.

Don’t expect this Mercedes EQT Concept preview to translate into the final production version. The retail version will be toned down. Concept previews are generally designed as publicity stunts. Powertrains have yet to be revealed. Word on the street is that the T-Class will use Renault’s 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel with power ranging from 113bhp, 74bhp and 109bhp respectively. 

The pure electric EQT will use a 45kWh battery and a 101bhp electric motor giving an estimated but not confirmed range of 165 miles. Mercedes says the T-Class and EQT pure electric variant will offer best-in-class tech and premium experience. But the thick bezeled infotainment system looks about 5 years old.

So don’t believe everything a car company says. Pricing and model spec will be revealed at a, we don’t when date, in about we don’t know how many weeks.