Mercedes-Benz have just released a teaser image of their upcoming 7th generation S-Class. The photo, originally flashed on a video interview with CEO of Mercedes-Benz Ola Källenius.
Källenius mentioned that Mercedees-Benz would sticking to the course and the launch of the company’s flagship, the S-Class, would be happening this year despite the COVID-19 situation. He didn’t reveal any details about the new S-Class, but described it as a ‘Technological Tour De Force”, which really isn’t much to go on.
Let’s look at that front end in greater detail and bring up some comparisons with the current model’s front face from a similar angle. From a cursory look, the new S-Class is a little tidier than the current model.
The first thing that stands out to me is the overall shape has picked up on some ‘Sensual Purity’ traits seen on other new Benz vehicles like the CLS and A-Class. Take a look at how the front grille is incorporated into the bumper in the new model:
In the previous model, the top of the grille meets the hood. The new one has a bit of the bumper piece surrounding the entire front grille. The front grille is also noticable taller, lending a narrower proportion. Another notable change is the placement of the Mercedes-Benz logo on a body coloured surface, where in the previous model it sits at the top of the grille piece. The hood ornament with the 3-pointed star seems to still be in the same relative location. Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz designers did not find a neater way to integrate the radar sensors in the front grille. Thus, just like the previous S-Class, a portion of the front grille has unsightly glossy plastic.
The next thing to look at are the headlights. The housing looks much more intricate and more high-tech, for lack of a better word. We’re not sure how much more advanced these headlights are, but the previous S-Class managed to look traditionally classy while still having some significantly complicated headlight technology. The headlight unit is a lot slimmer and sportier looking
Next is the lower bumper trim. Almost the entire lower bumper is one large vent with horizontal slats and a chrome surround. It’s a little disappointing that the chrome surround doesn’t integrate more seamlessly with the front grille, but perhaps the lighting is the problem here.
Finally, there’s the new rims. There’s quite a dramatic taper into the centre of the wheel that looks great. The design of the rim itself doesn’t look too complicated, but may be a little sportier than elegant.
That’s all we have to go on but you can also have a look at more of the new S-Class from these leaked images.
Interview transcript:
Despite the COVID-19 challenge, we’re strategically on course. This year is special – we will launch our flagship car: the S-Class..
This is a rare occurrence and a special moment for us. Happening in the second half of the year and we’re excited.
The S-Class will be a technological tour de force. Our brightest minds and most creative people are with it, inventing what future technologies will be. I drove a preproduction model and it’s amazing. We drove it around, even at high speed on the autobahn. Very serene and quiet ride. The predecessor set the bar high but the new S-Class will be special.
