The Next-Generation 2027 Mercedes-Benz GLC Is Just the Beginning of a Huge New Wave of Products From the Company
The electric GLC SUV leads the new C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLA, and GLB as Mercedes ramps up an onslaught of new offerings, electric and combustion.
Alisa PriddleWriterManufacturerPhotographerSep 08, 2025
21 2027 Mercedes Benz GLC EV red
Mercedes has shown us its new look with the 2027 Mercedes-Benz GLC, an electric small luxury SUV that made its global premiere at the IAA Mobility show in Munich. It is at the front end of an onslaught of 40 new models by the end of 2027, the largest product investment in the storied automaker’s history, said Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management.
The 2027 GLC is the first vehicle on the new MB.EA architecture that has the breadth to underpin a wide swath of forthcoming and core models: C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, and their equivalent SUVs.
Next up is the new generation of the C-Class compact luxury sedan. We should see it shortly, according to chief technology Officer Markus Schäfer. Indeed, it is coming next year with a range of 497 miles, Källenius said.
Also to come is the next generation E-Class midsize sedan.
The flagship S-Class full-size sedan will also have its new turn in the sun.
Other New Families From Mercedes
22 2026 Mercedes Benz CLA first drive
Mercedes later this year will launch the all-new 2026 CLA on the company’s new Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform. It will be followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLB three-row SUV that will go on sale next year, and then the smaller two-row GLA.
Unlike the early Mercedes EQ family of electric vehicles which were designed to look distinct from vehicles with internal combustion engines, these new products do not differentiate between the two, meaning a GLC will look the same regardless of powertrain. And the name is the same for both—the electric ones will just add “with EQ technology” to the moniker.
Schäfer said that in the early days of electric cars, it was important to make EVs look different than combustion vehicles. Now customers will simply choose their model and then their drivetrain.
Gorden Wagener, chief design officer for the Mercedes-Benz Group, also insisted the EQ models were right for their time, when EVs were viewed as progressive and needed to look the part. But that time has passed. “I don’t want to differentiate between EVs and ICE anymore,” he said. “We have closed the zipper. Brand ID is what counts now.”
It is also a welcome change for Mathias Geisen, the board member for marketing and sales. One design and one name for a given vehicle is clearer, making it easier to market and sell.
Alisa Priddle
Alisa Priddle joined MotorTrend in 2016 as the Detroit Editor. A Canadian, she received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been a reporter for 40 years, most of it covering the auto industry because there is no more fascinating arena to cover. It has it all: the vehicles, the people, the plants, the competition, the drama. Alisa has had a wonderfully varied work history as a reporter for four daily newspapers including the Detroit Free Press where she was auto editor, and the Detroit News where she covered the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, as well as auto trade publication Wards, and two enthusiast magazines: Car & Driver and now MotorTrend. At MotorTrend Alisa is a judge for the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV and Person of the Year. She loves seeing a new model for the first time, driving it for the first time, and grilling executives for the stories behind them. In her spare time, she loves to swim, boat, sauna, and then jump into a cold lake or pile of snow.
