New Mercedes S-Class Coupe To Rival Rolls-Royce

That iconic grille we introduced at IAA in Munich? Consider it the spark for a creative impulse. Get ready for what’s next.
 

Last month, Mercedes-Benz teased the first-ever all-electric C-Class with a rather quirky new front end, but if a new set of teasers from the automaker’s Chief Design Officer is anything to go by, Mercedes hasn’t forgotten how to do classic Art Deco style. Gorden Wagener has taken to Instagram to share what his captions describe as “the shape of things to come,” and it looks an awful lot like a new S-Class Coupe, something that has been missing from the lineup since 2021. Unlike the aforementioned EV, these shadowy teasers depict a vehicle with a flat, tall grille that looks almost retro despite its illuminated nature, and with earlier posts on Instagram referencing the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Coupe and Cabriolet concepts from 2016 and 2017, it seems that Mercedes may be preparing to introduce something so opulent that Rolls-Royce would raise an eyebrow.
 
Magnificent, But Not A Maybach
The badges on the hood and wheel center caps are Three-pointed Stars, not the Maybach Motorenbau double-Ms of the ultra-luxury brand. However, this appears to be from a similar realm, with a shot of the rear haunches revealing that the long hood is followed by a two-door cabin with reverse-opening suicide doors (note the door handle sited close to the accents in the front fender). The swollen rear arches and frameless windows give a hint of AMG GT flavor, while the design of the LED headlights calls to mind the Concept AMG GT XX, so Mercedes is clearly trying to blend past and future in one elegantly powerful but opulent design.
 
Another post on Wagener’s Instagram feed shows something from the interior, including what appear to be velvet-covered seatbacks. Again, this level of luxury calls to mind something like a Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, potentially hinting at a limited-run model of some sort. Then again, these flourishes may just be concept car confetti. All we have to go on is the caption: “An exclusive glimpse of something special.”
 
Mercedes Is Maintaining The Mystery… For Now
Unfortunately, Herr Wagener’s posts provide no clue as to when we might see this new design in all its glory, only that the grille we first saw at IAA Munich is “the spark for a creative impulse.” That could relate to a concept or a new production model, but either way, it’s clear that Mercedes is working hard to distinguish future designs from the jellybean blobs of the EQ-branded EVs. We’ll have to wait for a full reveal to know how effective these efforts have been, but first impressions are strong, even if we don’t know whether this is a concept/design study or a production car. Hopefully, Mercedes doesn’t keep us in the dark for much longer, because something grand enough to warrant a Three-pointed Star as a three-dimensional hood ornament promises to be the sort of car Mercedes built its luxury reputation on.