- Mercedes plans “the biggest product launch program” in its history
- The lineup remake includes 30 new models, 15 electric, by 2027
The Mercedes-Benz lineup will look radically different in just two years.
The company made waves recently with news that it had stopped taking orders for all but one of its electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S., and planned to sunset that one at the end of the year.
But, far from abandoning the EV market, Mercedes now says its plans 30 new models in just two years, half of which will be electric. In a presentation to investors, Chairman Ola Källenius promised “the biggest product launch program in the history of Mercedes-Benz.” The company didn’t specify which models will come to the U.S.
The company unveiled the first glimpse of a new brand look — a modern take on the classic Mercedes grille set to appear on a remade GLC that will debut at the Munich auto show in September.
Dramatic Makeovers, All-New Entries
- Some will be simple makeovers, but more extensive than normal
- Others will be entirely new products
Automakers traditionally redesign each of their models from the ground up every five to 10 years. They design an update at the midpoint introducing new cabin technologies and a visual makeover.
Charts Mercedes showed in its presentation suggest that some of the “new” models listed will be facelifts of current cars. But some may be more substantial than the usual mid-cycle refresh. Källenius noted that the company has “invested a lot more in the model update of the new combustion engine S-Class than we normally spend on a facelift.”
Others will be entirely new products. A smaller version of the iconic G-Class SUV and an all-electric high-performance sedan from the brand’s AMG racing division are each in the mix.
All but one of the EVs Mercedes sells in the U.S. today ride on the same platform. The EQE Sedan, EQE SUV, EQS Sedan, and EQS SUV share most of their parts, and haven’t successfully wooed many American buyers.
So Mercedes has already stopped selling them in the U.S. A planned update of the CLA for 2026 will introduce a new EV platform and a new strategy — EVs and gas-powered cars that look identical, letting buyers choose either powertrain without giving up the signature brand look.
A Modern Interpretation of the Classic Mercedes Look
- A new design language includes the classic chrome grille reinterpreted in lights
The brand plans a new design language it calls “sensual purity.”
The first vehicle to wear the new look will appear at the Munich motor show this fall — an all-electric version of the GLC compact luxury SUV.
Mercedes teased the look with a photo of the future GLC’s grille. It takes the horizontal-strake look of the wide grille that has appeared on Mercedes vehicles since the 1970s and reinterprets it with light.
“The chrome grille is one of the most visual representations of the brand’s DNA,” Mercedes says. This new version recreates the look through 942 pixels in smoked glass.
The lighted grille will be optional, Mercedes says.
The electric version of the GLC will also debut a new, “seamless” take on the Mercedes Hyperscreen, a cabin-spanning pane of glass available on some models that, today, includes three separate screen interfaces.
