• Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the new front grille design coming to its new models in the next few years to come.
When Mercedes-Benz launched its line of electric vehicles under the EQ emblem, it aimed to reinvent its image for the electric era. Whether the reinvented image had something to do with it is debatable, but the fact is the brand's electric models haven’t been selling as well as hoped.
It does appear customers have not taken to the recent new models introduced by Mercedes-Benz models, precisely because of the stylistic language of the EQ electric models.
The company has been aware of this for several years. During a visit to Stuttgart, Germany, two weeks ago, we were told that work on a design reboot has been quietly underway for four years.
Now we see one result of that work. The new grille will debut with the electric GLC, which we went to see up close in Germany. The EV is set to be presented officially at the Munich Motor Show on September 7, at which point we’ll be able to share all the details on it and its design.
If you’re familiar with the history of the brand's models, you will have noticed the reference to the past. As early as 1902, Mercedes-Benz introduced a radiator grille featuring a multitude of small square openings, a signature remained in place for decades, right up to the 1990s in fact.
In the new version, the squares actually have another function: to offer a lighting signature and animation. In total, the electric GLC's grille features 942 of these individual squares. The Mercedes-Benz star logo also illuminates, with a surround that can also be lit.
Mercedes says the new grille will spread across the lineup in the coming year. We had the opportunity to see some of the things the company is working on for the coming years.
One mandate of the design update work is to make the Mercedes-Benz grille instantly recognizable as a Mercedes one. That, the hope is, will give the company’s range of all-electric models new momentum on the market.