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IT Home reported on October 30 that, according to foreign media outlet Motor1 on the 29th local time, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius revealed during the company's third-quarter 2026 earnings call that the all-electric E-Class is a luxury sedan developed from scratch. The new car shares the E-Class name with the gasoline-powered version, uses a dedicated electric platform and is planned to offer improvements in several areas.
According to IT Home, development of the new car began about three years ago, with virtually no existing designs carried over. Prototypes of the all-electric E-Class are currently undergoing final-stage testing to address potential issues before mass production.
The all-electric E-Class is expected to have an exterior design highly similar to that of the gasoline-powered E-Class, which is due for a facelift next year. Mercedes-Benz is also using this approach to further unify the design language and model names of its gasoline-powered and electric vehicles; the CLA, GLA, GLB, GLC and C-Class all follow this strategy.
Källenius also discussed a version developed specifically for the Chinese market, with almost all of its components sourced locally in China: “You will see a specially developed electric vehicle that fully reflects the values Mercedes-Benz has always upheld, whether in its features, technology, appearance or space. I must say that, particularly in the Chinese market, safety, quality, ride comfort and the driving experience are more important than ever. These are the qualities that make Mercedes-Benz what it is, and we took all of them into account when designing the new car. For models produced in China, we will source almost all components locally. The first model to adopt this new strategy will be the all-electric E-Class, which is planned for launch in the second half of 2027. We will continue to follow this strategy afterward.”
Beyond its plans for new cars, Källenius also pledged that Mercedes-Benz would make bold and exciting changes to its technology, products and operating methods. A more complete strategy, to be announced next year, will further clarify its direction for the coming decade. One major change is already underway: Mercedes-Benz recently announced plans to use artificial intelligence to accelerate product development by up to 30%.
Mercedes-Benz hopes this will improve its operational efficiency and ability to respond to change, while shortening the time it takes to bring new cars from development to market. Facing a rapidly changing automotive industry, Mercedes-Benz, like most other traditional automakers, believes it can remain competitive only by accelerating its transformation.