Mercedes-Benz in 2026: nearly 20 new models and updates

So many Mercedes-Benz announcements are lined up for 2026 that the brand effectively rang in the new year well before midnight. Even before 2025 had ended, the three-pointed star had already pulled back the curtain on several models set to define the year ahead. What we did not realise at the time was that it was only the beginning: a product push on an unprecedented scale is on the way.

All told, we counted almost 20 new arrivals. Very few line-ups will escape untouched, and electrification sits at the heart of the plan - from compact models right up to the flagship end of the range. Yet there is still room for a new flat-plane-crank twin-turbo V8 - Ferrari-style… - and it will debut in the least likely place of all: the S-Class. So much for the idea that Germans have no sense of humour.

CLA fires the starting gun

In this new phase, the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA plays a pivotal role. It launched last year in a fully electric version - which we have already had the chance to test - and it entered 2026 in style by winning the European Car of the Year award.

Across 2026, the range will broaden. First up is the arrival of the CLA Shooting Brake (above), followed by the introduction of versions… with internal combustion power. Thanks to the new CLA’s flexible architecture, it can package combustion engines, and the CLA mild-hybrid is due shortly. It features a new 1.5-litre petrol engine that promises Diesel-like fuel consumption - explore this engine in detail.

The CLA was also the first model to introduce the MMA platform, which will keep delivering in 2026 - starting with the new-generation GLB. Unveiled at the end of last year, the SUV retains the option of up to seven seats and will share the CLA’s electric powertrains (replacing the EQB) and mild-hybrid set-ups. It already has prices for Portugal, with first deliveries expected in May 2026:

To round out 2026, the GLA successor should arrive - the fourth and final model originally planned to sit on the MMA platform. It will also take the place of the electric EQA and, under the bodywork, is not expected to differ significantly from the models mentioned above.

Mercedes’ best-seller is now electric too

We have only just got started and the list of Mercedes-Benz news for 2026 is already long. One of the year’s most important launches will be the Mercedes-Benz GLC EQ, the spiritual successor to the EQC.

First shown last year at the Munich motor show, it debuts the MB.EA platform with an 800 V architecture and claims more than 700 km of range. It will not be arriving in isolation: heavyweight rivals are also due in 2026, including the BMW iX3 - which we have already driven - and the Volvo EX60, which we saw in person: watch or rewatch the video. The new electric GLC is also set to turn heads with its huge illuminated grille and the 39.1″ (99.3 cm) Hyperscreen, the largest ever fitted to a Mercedes-Benz. It already has prices for Portugal and is expected to arrive in May.

Later on, in the autumn, Mercedes will unveil the first ever 100% electric C-Class, which is built on the same technical base as the GLC. As with the electric GLC, the electric C-Class will be sold alongside its namesake models with internal combustion engines.

Meanwhile, the current C-Class will also receive an update in spring 2026. Expect visual and tech improvements (a new-generation MBUX, for example), although it is the future of the C 63 that generates the most curiosity:

Luxury on two fronts: 800 V and V8

The EQS did not deliver the success Mercedes had hoped for, but the company is not giving up on it. In 2026, it will undergo a major update: an 800 V architecture (faster charging), new electric motors, silicon-carbide chips (greater efficiency), and a new facelift. It is an unusually extensive intervention designed to keep the electric luxury saloon competitive until the arrival of a fully electric S-Class, confirmed for the end of the decade.

Before that, Mercedes will roll out the deepest update ever applied within a single generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class - the brand says 50% of components are new or modified - with its reveal at the end of January. A new MBUX and Hyperscreen are confirmed and… so is the debut of a new 4.0 twin-turbo V8.

This new V8 is an evolution of the familiar M 177, but it stands apart by using a flat-plane crankshaft instead of the traditional cross-plane design - a solution more common in Maranello than Stuttgart, and one that gives Ferrari V8s that higher-pitched sound we enjoy so much. Mercedes argues the choice helps cut emissions without compromising performance. The proof is in the figures: output rises from 503 cv and 700 Nm for the current V8 to 537 cv and 750 Nm for the new one.

AMG is more electric than ever

For AMG, 2026 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year. Centre stage is taken by the production version of the GT XX, which will effectively serve as the electric successor to the four-door GT. Like the concept, it will use three axial-flux motors and has an announced output of 1000 kW (1360 cv). It will be a technology statement and is expected towards the end of the year.

But more fully electric AMGs are on the way. Everything suggests that, around the same time, alongside the GT we will also be treated to a 100% electric Mercedes-AMG CLA.

Still… steady on - AMG has not abandoned combustion or V8s. The new flat-plane-crank V8 is also expected to power the CLE 63 coupé and, very likely, to comfortably exceed the 537 cv quoted for the S-Class. The SL roadster, launched in 2022, will also be updated - test prototypes are already circulating on public roads - and a Maybach interpretation of this historic badge arrives at the very start of 2026.

And there’s more still

Even after all that, there is room for further new arrivals. In 2026, the Mercedes-Benz GLE and Mercedes-Benz GLS will receive styling, technology and mechanical updates to meet the Euro 7 standard. The three-pointed star has also previewed the G-Class Cabriolet, the VLE - an electric MPV intended to replace the V-Class - and there are strong indications that the mini G-Class could be revealed this year, ahead of its 2027 launch - discover more detail on it.

With almost 20 new models and updates planned, 2026 is set to become one of the busiest years in Mercedes-Benz’s recent history.