Mercedes recently beat BMW to the flagship punch by updating the S-Class before the 7 Series LCI breaks cover. Although the paint on Stuttgart’s luxobarge has barely dried, work is already well underway on a replacement. The company’s development boss announced this week that the next-generation model will arrive late this decade with an electric twist.
In an interview with German business newspaper Automobilewoche, Mercedes Development Chief Jörg Burzer confirmed that an S-Class without a combustion engine is in the works. It won’t clash with the current EQS, since the model won’t live to see a second generation. Instead, the plan is to merge the S-Class and EQS into a single model. Doing so will echo BMW’s approach with the 7 Series and i7.
In the meantime, the EQS will undergo a facelift of its own before heading into retirement. The super-slippery electric liftback wearing the three-pointed star will rival the upcoming 7 Series facelift. The G70 is months away from receiving a partial Neue Klasse makeover.
BMW’s large electric sedan will still be around by the time Mercedes replaces the EQS with the electric S-Class. We’ve heard the G70 will remain in production until near the end of 2032, at which point the first-ever S-Class EV will likely have already been on sale for a couple of years.
It’s too soon to say whether a Maybach S-Class without a combustion engine is planned. If Mercedes decides to offer a more luxurious version, it would compete head-to-head with the yet-to-be-announced ALPINA i7 70 xDrive. The first electric car from the newly formed BMW ALPINA brand is rumored to go on sale next year under a different internal codename: G72.
Thankfully, we won’t have to wait until 2027 to learn about the return of the ALPINA-badged 7 Series. The car is likely to be announced in the coming months. Gas-fueled versions (740 xDrive and 760 xDrive) will battle the current-generation Maybach S-Class, which has yet to receive a facelift. For now, only the Benz-branded model has made its official debut, but the fancier version carrying the double-M logo is coming soon.
Looking ahead, Burzer didn’t go into specifics about the next S-Class but said it will be “highly attractive, both visually and technically.” Meanwhile, Audi has remained tight-lipped about the future of the A8, having yet to announce whether a successor is planned. The current car turns 10 next year and doesn’t come in an EV flavor.
In the meantime, BMW is preparing to give the 7 Series a makeover. With production allegedly set to start in July, the official presentation should take place by late spring or early summer. As expected, the purely electric i7 will receive the same styling updates along with the next-generation user interface featuring iDrive X and Panoramic Vision.
Source: Automobilwoche (subscription required)
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