Despite all the electric car euphoria, combustion engines remain the core business for Mercedes. The renewal of the GLC and E-Class are initially on the agenda. A new series follows shortly thereafter. Otherwise, tidying up the portfolio is the order of the day.
Mercedes wants to be fully electric by 2030. At least where market conditions allow. The EQ models are a first step on the way there. But at the moment only about every tenth customer chooses them. The majority of the rest still prefer the classic series with combustion engines or plug-in hybrid drives.
In the middle and upper class, important replacements are on the agenda in the near future. These are models that are all still based on the MRA (Mercedes Rear Wheel Architecture) and have their final life cycle ahead of them. The first representative in the fall is the new generation of the GLC, known internally as the X 254. The predecessor was one of the biggest sales hits from Stuttgart - and also one of the best in terms of quality (twice first place in the TÜV report). Mercedes sold 2.6 million units.
It is therefore understandable that no major experiments are being carried out for the successor in terms of design. He should keep making volume. It is therefore not surprising that the new GLC is rolling off the assembly line in Sindelfingen for the first time, in addition to Bremen and Beijing. The range of engines comes from the C-Class (W 206). Six and eight cylinders are passé. Propulsion is provided exclusively by electrified two-liter four-cylinder engines, both diesel and petrol. All-wheel drive is standard, as is the well-known 9-speed automatic.
The plug-in hybrids - market launch probably in December - will have a much more electric character. The battery capacity is growing considerably, which should allow ranges of well over 100 kilometers. A good year later, in autumn 2023, the coupé version (C 254) of the GLC will follow. Both body variants will have the usual AMG offshoots, but the '63 version will also have a four-cylinder for the first time, combined with an electric motor on the rear axle, as the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance has now shown. Output increased to 500 kW/680 hp, a record in the history of the C-Class. Market launch: 2023.
At the end of this year, Mercedes wants to present the new E-Class. The W 214 series, which is also based on the MRA platform, is to go on sale next spring. Visually, the similarity to the current S-Class (W 223) is visible. The business sedan adopts air suspension and rear-axle steering from her, but with a smaller steering angle. Long-distance drivers can keep their beloved diesel, both as a four- and as a six-cylinder. All units are electrified, the plug-in hybrids have a battery that is more than twice the size to enable electric ranges of over 100 kilometers.
In semi-autonomous driving, the new E-Class should be at Level 3 or at least be designed for it. The large-area hyperscreen is not finding its way. There is supposed to be a display landscape that resembles a mix of wide screen and middle screen. It can also be heard that the price list for the front passenger provides for a separate screen as an option. Almost at the same time as the sedan, Mercedes is of course launching the station wagon version T-model again. It will be followed a little later by the all-terrain variant trimmed for outdoor and adventure.
While the principle used to apply at Mercedes to occupy every niche, no matter how small, the opposite has recently applied: tidying up the portfolio is the order of the day. The variety of C and E derivatives is thinned out. The CLE merges the two-door models of the C- and E-Class, both the respective convertibles and the coupés. A logical step, because sales of convertibles in particular are shrinking worldwide. In addition, the two series were too similar. The CLE models are expected to go onto the market at the end of 2023 (coupé) and summer 2024 (convertible).
It should have been largely decided that there will be no four-door CLE Coupé that could succeed the CLS. The CLS expires after three generations at the end of 2023. The role of the four-door coupé sedan in this segment is being taken on by a model that is just beginning to ramp up: the all-electric EQE.
