‘We Eat, Sleep, and Drink Cars’

Mercedes is planning the “biggest product launch program in history,” with 18 cars set to debut next year and another 14 models in 2027. Most will be next-generation vehicles or facelifts of existing models, but a few all-new additions are also in the pipeline. All told, the Stuttgart-based luxury automaker “runs about 40 body variants,” according to CEO Ola Källenius. Despite the already complex lineup, the head of the company isn’t ruling out even more models.

Speaking with Auto ExpressKällenius rhetorically asked, “Could there be more niches still? I’m not going to exclude that. If we believe there is a market need, we will go for it. [At Mercedes] we eat, sleep, and drink cars.” However, don’t expect the company to take wild risks. The days when automakers could afford to experiment with unconventional, potentially slow-selling models are over: “We also run a business. There needs to be a business case.”

The CEO’s comments about a possible lineup expansion might seem surprising, especially since Mercedes has been trimming its portfolio. The SLC, CLS, and AMG GT Convertible are already gone, while the T-Class and Citan are being phased out. Additionally, the C-Class Coupe/Convertible and E-Class Coupe/Convertible have been consolidated into the CLE lineup. The B-Class minivan is also expected to bow out sometime next year.

Mercedes had initially planned to discontinue the A-Class by 2026, but it’s sticking around. Mercedes’ head of production, Jörg Burzer, told Automotive week the “compact sedan continues to be very popular with our customers, especially in Europe.” The five-door hatchback has also earned a reprieve, meaning the existing A-Class will continue to be sold alongside the new CLA sedan and wagon, both of which will be offered with gasoline and electric drivetrains.

As a refresher, Handelsblatt reported last year that Mercedes could discontinue the GLC Coupe and GLE Coupe. A more radical claim came from Automotive week in 2022, which suggested the brand’s wagons would be phased out entirely by the end of the decade. But that seems unlikely, considering even the entry-level CLA has just received a wagon version for the third time.

Further simplification of the lineup will come by unifying EQ models with their internal combustion counterparts. Mercedes has already confirmed the EQS, described by design boss Gorden Wagener as a car that came out “10 years too early,” will be dropped after a single generation. It will make way for a next-generation S-Class that will be offered in both ICE and EV versions.

Confirmed additions to the lineup include electric versions of the C-Class and GLC, as well as an electric AMG sedan and SUV duo. Looking further ahead, Mercedes is working on a downsized G-Class, nicknamed the “Little G,” which is expected to be available with both gasoline and electric powertrains.

Speaking of multi-drivetrain strategies, Mercedes plans to continue this approach for the foreseeable future. Källenius recently said the company has made a “course correction” to extend the life of combustion engines into the 2030s and possibly beyond, given slower-than-expected EV adoption:

“Electrified high-tech combustion engines will run longer than we originally expected. In the current situation, I think the most rational approach is for an established manufacturer to do both and not neglect either technology.”