The next Mercedes GLC will be all-electric with a light-up grille and a HYPERSCREEN

Mercedes has announced that its new all-electric ‘GLC with EQ Technology’ will get a new, seamless take on the giant HYPERSCREEN from the EQE and EQS models. And we now know it'll be unveiled at the Munich motor show on 7 September. Big news given that the current GLC is Merc’s best-selling model.

There’s more, because Merc said this GLC will begin “a new era of iconic design at Mercedes-Benz”.

That’s because it features what Merc is calling its "new iconic grille" with a bright chrome surround and 942 pixel-like dots that are illuminated from behind and can be animated to display different graphics. Very futuristic. The giant Mercedes badge in the centre is also illuminated, although how much of that badge can be lit up will vary depending on the market. In Europe for example, the star can legally be lit up but the circle around it can’t.

The new grille seemingly marks a step away from the swoopy, pebble-like design of Merc’s original EQ electric cars, which can only be a good thing as you'd need a degree in car design just to be able to tell the EQE and EQS apart.

It’s not all future-facing either, because Merc reckons this upright "illuminated work of art" actually harks back to cars like the 600 Pullman and the W108.

“When 100+ new companies are launching in China and cooling requirements are changing, how do you keep your identity,” said Merc CEO Ola Källenius about the new face. “We are taking our heritage and pedigree and looking into the future.”

And yes, it certainly sounds like this grille will be rolled out right across the Mercedes range. “Our new iconic grille is not just a new front for the GLC,” said design boss Gorden Wagener. “It redefines the face of our brand. It is the perfect fusion of lasting design codes reinterpreted for the future, making our cars instantly recognisable.”

Fan of the new look?