Mercedes-Benz priming 21 new cars for next two years

Cars coming include more than a dozen new models, eight facelifts and two concepts

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7 mins read

3 March 2025

Mercedes-Benz is gearing up for one of the most ambitious range expansion plans in its history when more than a dozen new models, a further eight facelifts and a pair of future-looking concepts will be launched in a crowded 24-month period.

The push comes as the German car maker seeks to bring stability to its global production and sales in key markets, including the UK, following a turbulent few years that have resulted in deliveries falling and profits dipping.

The new rollout is centred on the second phase of Mercedes’ EQ electric strategy, which the company will pursue while also balancing the introduction of updated ICE models, including the launch of new-generation mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains.

2025 newcomers

Spearheading the new model blitz is the third-generation CLA saloon, which is the first in a series of six new compact models based on Mercedes’ new Modular Mercedes Architecture (MMA) platform and will be unveiled next month.

Due in showrooms during the second half of this year, the electric CLA saloon is positioned as the most efficient EV that Mercedes has produced to date. With a focus on maximising range, the longest-legged version is claimed to achieve more than 460 miles on a single charge from a 85kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery.

Six months after the EV, a hybrid model will be launched, centred on a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small electric motor in the gearbox for up to 188bhp. Mercedes claims it will offer “diesel levels of efficiency”.

Both versions will be badged as CLA saloons, making this the first model line to accommodate both EVs and ICE-based variants as Mercedes streamlines its model-naming strategy.

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Not long after, the CLA Shooting Brake wagon will be revealed. It will make its debut in electric form but the petrol variant will follow in late 2025, sharing drivetrains with the CLA saloon.

Another major launch in 2025 will be the followup to Mercedes’ first production EV, the EQC SUV. Its replacement will be an electric version of the second-generation GLC, which is set to headline Mercedes’ display at the Munich motor in September.

The rival to the Audi Q6 E-tron, BMW iX3 and Porsche Macan will feature an 800V electric architecture underpinned by the MB:EA Medium platform shared with the 2026 electric C-Class. Single-motor, rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configurations will be offered. The electric GLC is due to be available with a choice of lithium-iron-phosphate and NMC batteries. These packs are understood to be good for ranges of around 400 and 500 miles respectively.

Secrecy surrounds the outputs of the new electric SUV, which will be produced at Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa factory in the US. However, sources at AMG’s Affalterbach headquarters have suggested to Autocar that a planned GLE 53 range-topping model could deliver up to 600bhp in combination with uniquely tuned motors and power electronics. This variant is pencilled in to arrive in 2026.

Before the end of 2025, Mercedes will reveal the new GLB. Described as a “massive step up” from the first-generation car, it will be the third model based on the MMA platform. As with the CLA, it will have both electric and petrol drivetrains, targeting the Audi Q3/Q4 and BMW X1/iX1. Both EV and ICE variants will wear the GLB badge, meaning the EQB moniker will disappear.

Test mules show that the new GLB will be slightly longer and wider than today’s model, with more of a focus on interior space and storage. That change has been made possible by the switch to MMA from the older MFA platform.

The significance of the new GLB goes beyond simply replacing the first-generation model launched in 2019. It also serves as the template for Mercedes’ ‘Little G’, which is due in 2027.

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Potentially the biggest reveal of 2025 will be the Mercedes-AMG concept that is designed to “rewrite the term ‘electric performance’”. Expected to be unveiled in the middle of the year, this one-off supercar aims to demonstrate AMG’s future electric performance capabilities, much like the EQXX did for mainstream Mercedes-Benz EVs.

“Where the EQXX aimed to go the furthest, this aims to go the fastest. It will be the fastest-accelerating car AMG has ever produced,” a high-ranking insider told Autocar.

The supercar is said to be “not a million miles away” from the firm’s striking One-Eleven concept revealed in 2023 and will showcase AMG’s next-generation drivetrain technology, including an axial-flux electric motor developed by Mercedes-owned UK company Yasa. The same motor will also be used by the Mercedes-AMG GT SUV and electric version of the GT 4-Door Coupé.

Additionally, the concept will feature a next-generation battery, possibly a solid-state unit developed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz’s High Performance Powertrain division in Brixworth.

Meanwhile, the first deliveries of the ultra-exclusive Mercedes-AMG SL Maybach and SL PureSpeed are set to begin in the middle of 2025. At the same time, and emphasising AMG’s motorsport ties, Mercedes-AMG will also unveil new GT2 F1 and GT3 F1 variants of the current GT.

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2026 launches

If 2025 sounds busy, 2026 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for Mercedes. It will start with the reveal of the facelifted S-Class, which will remain on sale until 2030 before the arrival of a significantly more advanced ICE successor.

The updated S-Class will have a refreshed front end featuring a larger, illuminated grille, along with redesigned lighting elements for a more modern look. Inside, the latest MBUX Superscreen, running new MB:OS software, will enhance the digital experience. The car will feature next-generation, level-three autonomous driving hardware. Under the bonnet, following the mid-2023 update to the six-cylinder engines, the facelift will bring a powertrain upgrade that will exceed 517bhp.

Shortly after, Mercedes will reveal a comprehensively re-engineered version of the EQS. As reported by Autocar, it will adopt the S-Class name. However, the ICE and EV variants won’t share a platform. The ICE model will use a further developed version of today’s MRA architecture and the EV will sit on the MB:EA Large platform.

As a result, the new electric S-Class will feature an 800V system. Combined with new power electronics and advanced inverters and electric motor technology, it promises significant improvements in drivetrain efficiency, range and charging speeds over today’s EQS.

Mercedes’ momentum in the EV market will continue with the launch of the pivotal new electric C-Class, a direct rival to BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse-based i3 saloon. It will be the second model to use MB:EA Medium, after the electric GLC, with which it shares key components.

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Set to be revealed at the 2026 Beijing motor show, it will be offered in single-motor, rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor, all-wheel-drive guises, including a planned 600bhp-plus range-topping C63 EQ. An estate version of the EV is not planned.

The launch of the electric C-Class will precede that of a heavily upgraded version of today’s petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid C-Class. Arriving in both saloon and estate bodystyles, it is scheduled to appear in the second half of 2026.

By then, Mercedes also expects to reveal further details of its junior G-Class. First confirmed for production by chairman Ola Källenius at the 2023 Munich motor show, it is currently in the early stages of development, with a launch tentatively planned for 2027.

Also during 2026, Mercedes will unveil facelifted versions of the EQS SUV, EQE saloon and EQE SUV – all three of which are planned to be upgraded with the same MB:EA Large platform as the S-Class EV. Launches are pencilled in for the end of 2026. Upgraded versions of the US-built GLE and GLS will arrive around the same time.

However, the big highlight of 2026 is set to be the unveiling of Mercedes-AMG’s first dedicated electric model: a Lotus Emeya-rivalling saloon conceived as a sibling to the combustion-powered GT 4-Door Coupé.

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The first car to be based on the AMG:EA electric platform, it will use Yasa motors that are claimed to develop up to 486bhp and 590lb ft and weigh just 24kg. The dual-motor launch model is expected to make as much as 972bhp and 1180lb ft. A Porsche Taycan Turbo GT-rivalling tri-motor variant, with one motor at the front and two at the rear, is also in development.

2027's big stars

Looking even further forward, Mercedes-Benz has already signalled plans to launch two major all-new models.

One is the junior G-Class, or ‘little G’, which will be a smaller sibling to the legendary off-roader and sold exclusively with an electric drivetrain. It is intended to give Mercedes a foothold in the popular rugged crossover market.

Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener previously told Autocar that the new model will take strong design cues from the “iconic DNA” of the existing G-Class. He said: “It will have its own character, but it will be a G.”

A close sibling to the GLB, it will use the same MMA platform, also shared with the CLA. The junior G-Class is expected to be sold with single- and dual-motor set-ups and be positioned at the luxury end of the segment, but still offer off-road capabilities. A launch is tentatively planned for 2027.

The second major model will be the Mercedes-AMG GT SUV, the brand’s answer to the Lotus Eletre and upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne.

Sitting on the AMG:EA platform, it will produce upwards of 1000bhp, making it one of the most powerful cars the brand has made. It will be positioned between the EQE SUV and EQS SUV in the line-up.

Prototypes have revealed that the 2027-bound GT SUV will sport a bold-looking design using elements that give a clear visual link to its saloon sibling.