Mercedes doesn’t want you to see the driver’s display just yet.
Whether they’re amateurs or professionals, there’s no escaping from spy photographers. Along with the many batches of images depicting future products we receive on a weekly basis from people who do this for a living, we also stumble upon additional spy content such as this one provided by walkoARTvideos over on YouTube. During his off-time, he picks up his camera and tries to capture prototypes roaming the streets of Germany, focusing primarily on upcoming models carrying the three-pointed star. He just spotted the big daddy – the new S-Class.
Despite being covered from front to rear, the next generation of Daimler’s flagship does show a good chunk of its wide grille as well as most of the headlight design. The door handles remain covered under extra layers of camo, leading us to believe the S will switch to those nifty electronic pop-out handles we’ve already spotted on the Maybach version. At the back, the only noteworthy change is the extension of the taillights as they now continue on the tailgate.
Gallery: 2021 Mercedes S-Class prototype screenshots from spy video
After stopping at a red light, Mercedes’ test driver was in a rush to cover up the instrument cluster and keep it away from prying eyes (see from around the 0:30 mark). However, his effort was to some extent futile considering we’ve already seen the driver’s digital gauge back in February when our spies were able to take a peek inside a different prototype. In addition, we also saw the massive touchscreen dominating the center console where the only traditional button seemed to be the one for the hazard lights. It was flanked by what appeared to be rows of touch-sensitive controls, which we’ll also see in far less fancy cars such as the new Golf.
Little else is known about the W223, though Mercedes has promised to disclose details in the months to come ahead of a premiere scheduled for sometime next year. The company has set an objective to make the S-Class represent the “vanguard of the automotive industry” while developing an equivalent all-electric EQS we’ve recently seen testing under heavy camo hiding a radical body shape.
Speaking of electrification, even the AMG S63 will switch to a plug-in hybrid powertrain, while the V12 won’t be making a return since the 6.0-liter powerhouse died with the S65 Final Edition. That said, the future Maybach S-Class might still have the twin-turbo with its mighty 600+ horsepower taking into account Mercedes said a while back the V12 could stick around for a while in models carrying the double M badge.
The S-Class lineup will be going through some drastic changes as word on the street says the coupe and convertible are getting the proverbial axe, while the sedan will allegedly be sold only with a long wheelbase, plus the extra-long Maybach and maybe a new extra-extra-long Pullman. The death of the two-door models wouldn’t come as a surprise seeing as how sales haven’t been exactly great, and with Mercedes developing both a next-gen SL and an AMG GT, there’s a risk the two would partially overlap with the S-Class Coupe and Convertible, therefore cannibalizing sales.
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