Mercedes is prepping to launch no fewer than 18 new cars next year

“Probably the most intense amount of launches in a three-year period in the history of our company,” is how Mercedes boss Ola Källenius describes this year, 2026 and 2027 for the carmaker. Hope everyone at Merc is ready to work some overtime.

In fact, Källenius confirmed to TG there are plans to launch no fewer than 18 new models next year. Good grief.

Now, it’s worth bearing in mind that in this instance Mercedes is considering petrol and electric versions of the same model to be different cars, because they will launch at different times. For example, the hybrid CLA Shooting Brake is included as a completely new ICE model for 2026 in the plan, even though the electric version will have already arrived in late 2025. We’re told that one other ‘entry level’ combustion car will arrive in 2026 alongside two EVs.

Stepping up a price bracket to what Merc calls its ‘core’ range, there will also be two combustion cars and two EVs in 2026. We know that a new, all-electric GLC will be unveiled at the Munich motor show in September, and the current generation C-Class was launched back in 2021 too, so could that mean a facelift is on the horizon? Only time will tell.

It’s the really expensive stuff that’s truly being overhauled though, with Merc promising five new ‘top end’ internal combustion cars and five EVs in the same bracket next year.

“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,” said Källenius. “By the end of this decade, for all relevant Mercedes-Benz models there will be the choice of an electric powertrain for customers.”

Don’t think that means internal combustion development will stop, though. “Five years ago, we would have been estimating that we would be further along in the journey to electrification by now,” said Källenius. “We will have both ICE and EV for minimum the next 10 years. You cannot let your high-tech combustion engine side sit still.”

So, what about 2027? Well, Merc is planning on six new combustion cars in the ‘top end’ bracket and six EVs. There’ll be two new ICE models and one EV in Merc’s ‘core’ range and one combustion-engined ‘entry level’ car. New A-Class, anyone?