Mercedes-Benz has applied to trademark the EQA nameplate in the United States, hinting that the EQA electric compact crossover sold overseas may eventually be sold here as well.

A trademark application was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 5, timing that lines up with a planned refresh of the EQA for the 2024 model year. Camouflaged prototypes of the 2024 EQA have been spotted testing recently.

The EQA was launched in 2021, but is getting an update because the older GLA-Class on which it's based has already received its traditional mid-cycle update for 2024. The GLA-Class is now the entry-level model in Mercedes' U.S. lineup following the demise of the A-Class after 2022.

If it comes to the U.S., the EQA would become the entry-level Mercedes EV for this market. Just as the GLA-Class slots below the slightly larger GLB-Class, the EQA would sit below the EQB, which is also due for a 2024-model-year update, in the EQ electric lineup.

The U.S. trademark application only lists the EQA nameplate, but there's a chance this model will be rebranded an EQA SUV in at least some markets, following the nomenclature Mercedes uses for the EQE SUV and EQS SUV. The change would also free up the EQA name for an electric compact sedan under development, although it's unclear if that model will come to the U.S.

The compact sedan is expected to debut Mercedes' new MMA platform, which is designed to support both hybrid and all-electric vehicles, and will eventually serve as the foundation for all of the automaker's compact models. Even if the EQA crossover doesn't come here, we may get a future version based on the MMA platform if Mercedes follows through on its plan to go full electric by 2030.