Mercedes-Benz's EVs Are Getting a Much-Needed Glow-Up

• Mercedes-Benz is changing the design direction of its electric vehicles.
• The cars will use new "sensual purity" design language, making them look more like their gas-fed counterparts.
• We're big fans of this new styling, which debuts on the 2027 GLC EV.

Problem is, those first EQ models were met with poor reception — the designs either didn't go far enough, or weren't as homogenous and dignified as other Mercedes-Benz products. The company will instead shift to making its gas- and battery-powered cars look similar — and more elegant.

The new grille

The cornerstone of this next phase of design is the brand’s new corporate grille. The styling draws its inspiration primarily from the aforementioned Paul Bracq designs, with its larger, more squared-off shape and its pattern of 942 small squares that evoke the lattice mesh of classic models, such as the 600 limousine (a favorite of celebrities like John Lennon and Coco Chanel) and the W108/109 proto-S-Class from the 1960s and early 1970s. 

Available in a bright brushed finish or — my personal favorite — a shadow chrome finish, the grille features a large central star, a touch once reserved exclusively for sporty models, as well as horizontal bars and 942 illuminated dots in the latticework, allowing for welcome and goodbye animations. These elements, combined with the classic crest hood ornament (not to be confused with the vertical star) and the lattice, make up the three pillars of the new design. 

There’s a lot going on here, but it's easily the best-looking front end that Mercedes has had in quite a long time. The new nose makes its debut on the 2027 battery-electric GLC, a compact SUV that will also boast a new version of Mercedes’ Hyperscreen dashboard infotainment system and updated MB.OS software.

Designed with AI

During a media presentation in Germany, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius said the new "sensual purity" design language was penned with the help of generative AI. The design process started with sketches, as is normal. But then, instead of being turned into clay models, the sketches were fed into Mercedes' AI software. 

Källenius said that the AI software tweaks the sketches until the designers are happy, and from there, clay models are born. While the implications of this technology are likely concerning for designers — Mercedes styling boss Gorden Wagener expects his replacement to be an AI, according to an interview with ABC News in February — it’s hard to argue with the results.

The production version of the GLC EV will make its debut in September at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.