Mercedes boss Ola Källenius just dropped some wild news about what's coming down the pipeline. He's calling the next three years "probably the most intense amount of launches in a three-year period in the history of our company." Translation: everyone at Mercedes better stock up on energy drinks.
They are planning to launch 18 new models in 2026 alone. Eighteen! That's basically a new car every three weeks.
But, there's a catch. Mercedes is counting petrol and electric versions of the same car as separate launches because they're rolling them out at different times. So that hybrid CLA Shooting Brake? Even though the electric version hits dealerships in late 2025, they're counting the petrol version as a "completely new" model for 2026. Slightly cheeky, but definitely getting car lovers excited.
Here's how it breaks down for next year: one other entry-level combustion car will join the CLA, plus two EVs at that level. Moving up to what Mercedes calls their "core" range (think C-Class territory), they're planning two more petrol cars and two EVs.
Speaking of the C-Class, it's been around since 2021, so we might be looking at a facelift situation. And we already know there's a new all-electric GLC coming to the Munich motor show in September - complete with a light-up grille and something called a "HYPERSCREEN" because apparently regular screens aren't extra enough anymore.
But here's where things get really exciting: the expensive stuff. Mercedes is planning five new top-end combustion cars and five EVs in that bracket for 2026. That's ten high-end models in one year. Someone's clearly feeling ambitious.
Källenius had some interesting thoughts on why they're still bothering with petrol engines at the luxury end: "Most of the customers at the top end today still choose the Swiss watch of cars with a combustion engine, but it's not going to stop our push to electrification." Fair point - people do love their V8s.
He's promising that by the end of the decade, pretty much every Mercedes will have an electric option. But don't think they're giving up on combustion engines anytime soon. "Five years ago, we would have been estimating that we would be further along in the journey to electrification by now," he admitted. Basically, electric adoption hasn't been quite as rapid as everyone hoped.
The reality check continues: "We will have both ICE and EV for minimum the next 10 years. You cannot let your high-tech combustion engine side sit still." Smart move, really. Why put all your eggs in one basket when people are still buying both?
And if you thought 2026 was crazy, wait until you hear about 2027. They're planning six new combustion cars and six EVs in the top-end bracket, two new petrol models and one EV in the core range, plus one entry-level combustion car. Could that last one be a new A-Class? Your guess is as good as ours.
Honestly, it sounds like Mercedes is trying to cover every possible base while the industry figures out which way it's actually heading. Can't say it's not ambitious - just hope their designers are getting plenty of coffee. And of course, we hope these gems soon find their way on the second-hand market.
