2026 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Adopts A Simple Yet Not-So-Subtle Design

New Mercedes-Benz S-Class renderings with updated rear end. The design is partly inspired by the Vision Iconic concept and W111 (grille and low mounted taillights). The next generation will be revealed in 2026 and will be full electric (will be produced along with the current ICE S-Class). Is it better than the current one?
 

The ubiquitous Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is considered by many automotive enthusiasts to be the definitive full-size premium limousine, reached its seventh generation (W223) way back in 2020. That’s half a decade ago, already, right?
 
The latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class was introduced during the fall of 2020 and features only the classic four-door sedan body style, as the coupe and convertible models were discontinued by the top executives to prevent the new Mercedes-AMG SL and GT models from facing internal competition from four-seat models.
 
There are numerous options if you want an S-Class, though: diesel, gasoline, plug-in hybrid engines; regular, Guard, Maybach, and AMG variants, as well as numerous special editions like the Edition 100, Haute Voiture, or Maybach by Virgil Abloh, among others. However, five years later, there aren’t any major updates just yet.
 
There’s no mid-cycle refresh procedure in place yet, which has led people to wonder if Mercedes will introduce one on the market or proceed directly to an all-new eighth (W224) generation. Well, some folks have prepared for both alternatives, as it turns out. That’s easy for them, after all, because they’re members of the imaginative guild of digital car content creators dwelling across the parallel universes of vehicular CGI.
 

More precisely, Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as “kelsonik” on social media, thinks that now is the right CGI time to work on a new S-Class from Mercedes-Benz, all over again. Initially, the pixel master worked their magic immediately after the introduction of the stunning Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic Concept a couple of weeks ago, using it as part of their inspiration process.
 
More precisely, they redesigned the big limousine with a massive pixel LED grille at the front, complete with teardrop-shaped LED headlights with a three-pointed star LED DRL signature. The rear also features slimmer LED taillights, also inspired by the daring grand tourer concept. Additionally, the CGI expert cleaned the S-Class by featuring simpler bumpers with swoosh elements and nothing else, while the profile gets classic wire-style alloy wheels.
 
It looked great in silver, especially with the black grille surround, but now the author also wanted to check out the results of their unofficial, hypothetical Mercedes-Benz S-Class design project, dressed in black, just like the gorgeous Vision Iconic grand tourer concept. This time around, the contrast is provided by traditional chrome elements and by the polished, semi-concave multi-spoke alloy wheels.
 
So, what do you think? Should Mercedes-Benz hurry and bring to market a refreshed S-Class or kick off work on an all-new generation altogether, potentially inspired by the Vision Iconic prototype?