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According to Motor1, Mercedes is set to introduce a mid-life upgrade for the current-generation S-Class in 2026.
CEO Ola Kallenius revealed that the German luxury brand has invested more in the S-Class’ internal combustion engine than is typical for a mid-cycle refresh. As such, Mercedes-Benz will continue to offer traditional gasoline engines on the S-Class, potentially until 2040.
Speaking to Autocar, Kallenius reiterated that the company is developing an S-Class successor to the EQS. The pure gasoline variant of the S-Class will continue to exist in parallel, utilizing the platform that Mercedes developed for its internal combustion engine models. According to Kallenius, while the two S-Class models will share a name, they will not be identical due to the dedicated platform used for the EV variant.
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Mercedes will discontinue the EQS electric sedan. |
The Mercedes CEO believes that fitting a gasoline engine into the pure-electric S-Class would compromise cabin space, which he thinks customers would be reluctant to accept. Conversely, the design team would have to make changes to the vehicle’s exterior.
Kallenius acknowledged that developing separate S-Class models is costly, but Mercedes will attempt to keep the investment “manageable.” The German brand’s leader stated that they would achieve this by selling gasoline and electric vehicles concurrently to offset development costs.
According to Motor1, direct rival BMW appears to have a different approach, as the 7 Series and i7 still share the CLAR platform.
Mercedes is adapting its internal combustion engines to meet Euro 7 emissions regulations and is one of the few automakers still selling V12-powered cars. In the luxury sedan segment, Bentley and Audi have already discontinued their W12 engines, and Rolls-Royce will likely follow suit when the V12 engine in the 7 Series ends production around 2030.
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Mercedes will continue to offer internal combustion engines on the S-Class. Image: Mercedes. |
Per Motor1, the W223 S-Class will receive an upgrade in a few years, suggesting that this generation’s lifecycle will extend until the end of 2030. Subsequently, the W224 S-Class with gasoline (and possibly diesel) engines will be introduced by Mercedes around 2040.
CEO Ola Kallenius believes that by offering a combination of internal combustion and electric vehicles, Mercedes customers can look forward to an exciting next decade.
Back in 2021, Mercedes aimed for 50% of its sales to comprise plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles by 2025, but it has recently adjusted this timeline to 2030.
Mercedes-Benz also set a goal to become an all-electric brand by 2030, emphasizing that this would only happen “where market conditions allow.”
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