The automaker has updated its design strategy for electric models.
The central element of this new styling direction is a modernised version of the brand’s front grille.
The GLC with EQ Technology will be unveiled in Munich on September 7th.
Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to unveil the GLC with EQ Technology, the first model that will feature its new design language for electric vehicles.
While the automaker has been making EVs for a few years already, their lack of success when compared to those from rivals such as BMW has prompted Mercedes to revise its styling strategy.
Indeed, the company had originally chosen to make its electric vehicles look very different from their combustion-powered counterparts, in favour of better aerodynamics.
Since this hasn’t worked as well with customers as it had hoped it would, Mercedes-Benz will now create a single design for each model, with changes made to accommodate either gasoline or electric powertrains.
A key part of this new design language, called Sensual Purity, will be the revised filled-in grille to be fitted to electric vehicles.
Styled to recall the iconic Mercedes chrome grille, this panel has a smooth finish that looks like smoked glass and integrated contour lighting, which also includes that star logo.
Shown on the teaser image is the optional fully-illuminated version, which adds 942 backlit square dots that light up behind the horizontal “lattice” elements. These dots can also be animated to create a more striking visual.
As mentioned, the first vehicle to benefit from this new grille and the design philosophy it embodies will be the electric version of the new GLC.
Set to be launched at the IAA Mobility Show in Munich on September 7, this electric SUV is expected to play a large part in reversing its maker’s fortunes in the electrified segment.
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQCIndeed, the GLC has been the most popular Mercedes-Benz model worldwide for a few years and compact electric SUVs are some of the best-selling EVs around, which means an electric GLC has two reasons to succeed.
Apart from its new style, the GLC with EQ Technology will also be the first production model to incorporate the MB.OS Superbrain electronic architecture that powers the reworked MBUX Hyperscreen display which covers the instrument panel from door to door.
Even the model’s name is a sign of change, as the first electric GLC equivalent, sold in Europe between 2019 and 2023, was called EQC.
We will cover the GLC with EQ Technology’s debut next month, when more details will be known about this and other upcoming Mercedes-Benz models.
