Mercedes-Benz has officially announced that the next-generation W223 S-Class will make its debut in September this year, which is still some time away. To keep the hype train chugging along until then, the German carmaker will gradually roll out more information about its new flagship sedan via a video series called S-Class Digital.
The introductory video to the series is already out, with Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, on hand to give us a taste of what to expect. This will be followed by three more episodes, starting with “My MBUX” on July 8, “Innovation by intelligence” on July 29 and “Luxury and well-being” on August 12.
In the most recent video, we get a good look at a camouflaged example of the upcoming S-Class, although we already know what the redesign will look like thanks to previous leaked photos. Up front, the sedan will sport a much larger front grille flanked by slim headlamps, which feature a triple-element setup and a daytime running light strip within each cluster.
Elsewhere, the W223 will come with triangular-shaped taillights that resemble those on the latest C257 CLS have been fitted to the rear, linked by a chrome strip. Further down, the dual exhausts are integrated into the edges of the rear bumper, and one of the shots also show a sunroof.
Like the exterior, most of the car’s interior is also covered up, although we do get to see a large, portrait-format touchscreen that occupies the dashboard. This is a cue seen on the Vision EQS previously, and the system is powered by the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) interface.
With a lot more screen real estate available, many of the vehicle functions like climate control, navigation and media playback are now accessed through the touchscreen. This leaves very few physical controls on the dash, and this particular car that Schäfer enters also sports a more conventional three-spoke steering wheel instead of the six twin-spoke AMG version we saw in the earlier leak.
Technology has always been a key selling point for the S-Class, and there’s some of that mentioned here. The obligatory widescreen digital instrument cluster remains present here, along with a coloured head-up display. The latter has been upgraded to not only display more information, but also comes with augmented reality, which is an improvement over the previous integration of AR within the infotainment system.
As mentioned by Schäfer in the video, the car seen here is a prototype of the S-Class with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that is capable of delivering up to 100 km of range when running just on electricity. The company has already stated it plans to intensify its electrification initiative, with next-generation vehicles being able to deliver such capabilities, so the S-Class being the first model to be able to do so is a strong proof of concept.
We’ll gradually know more about the W223 S-Class with each video release leading up to the model’s official reveal in September, but in the meantime, are you impressed by what you’ve seen so far?
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Syukur x 10000 that Merc cars are becoming more efficient and beautiful. Big bosses, directors, managers, industrial captains, etc…….apa tunggu lagi? Buy one, or two.
Still behind a Tesla Model S. Large screen started 5 years ago.
Old tech, just a higher mileage and more battery used.
Today nice tmr realized still outdated.