Dusseldorf. Mercedes-Benz regularly invites its dealers to the design center in Sindelfingen. In a huge room with a gray floor and bright ceiling light, future model series are presented to them in order to obtain opinions. Cell phones, laptops and smartwatches must be handed in and photos must not be leaked to the outside world.
Dealers with whom Handelsblatt spoke report that the electric version of the E-Class will be presented at the IAA motor show in Munich in autumn 2027. The business sedan is an important volume model that Mercedes is powering for the first time.
The A-Class is scheduled to come onto the market in 2028. The entry-level vehicle should be called the same as the current entry-level model; in the meantime there was discussion about renaming the series. “The sporty coupé is a real hit,” says a dealer about the A-Class.
According to reports, it will have a rounder design and will be half as expensive as its big brother. Further variants from the tuning subsidiary AMG are also to be presented next year.
The series are part of the largest model offensive in the company's history, with which Mercedes wants to overcome its crisis. The effects on the balance sheet should finally push margins and profits up again starting next year. Mercedes has been presenting dozens of new and revised model series since 2025 and is significantly expanding its range of electric cars.
The first generation of Mercedes electric cars impressed with their electric range, but were a slow seller because many Mercedes customers didn't like the rounded silhouettes and the plastic front panel. One dealer says that people were almost ashamed of the vehicles of that time.
With the new models, Mercedes has aligned the design between combustion engines and electric vehicles and is again relying on traditional elements such as the honeycomb grille. Thanks to the MB.OS operating system, the vehicles have competitive software. And with the new generation of batteries, the cars offer long ranges and can be recharged quickly. The new series are impressive during test drives. Dealers are also satisfied: “The new cars look like a Mercedes again,” says one.
Initial registration figures and statements from dealers and managers regarding pre-orders also indicate that the model offensive in Europe is working. Mercedes usually brings the new vehicles onto the market first in its home region. Sales boss Mathias Geisen expects Mercedes to sell more vehicles this year in all markets except China than in 2019.
The first model of the offensive, the CLA coupé sedan, has been on the roads since September 2025 - and has since been sold over 71,000 times in Europe, an average of 5,400 units per month. This is shown by an exclusive Handelsblatt analysis of data from the service provider Dataforce. This far exceeded management's expectations. The previous version, which was only available as a combustion engine, had a monthly average of around 3,500 registrations from 2021 to 2024.
The GLC SUV series is also very well received in Europe. This is considered a model of fate for the group. Because the GLC was the best-selling model series as a combustion engine, and the SUV also has significantly higher margins than the CLA from the entry-level segment.
After problems with missing batteries and electrical systems slowed down the ramp-up in the spring, the number of registrations has increased significantly since July. According to Dataforce, the GLC was registered almost 7,400 times in September. If the electric car maintains this number, it would sell better than the combustion engine GLC. In its best sales year, 2025, this reached 6,500 units per month.
Mercedes is also closing in on its closest rival, BMW. The GLC competitor iX3, which hit the streets at the same time, sold 45,100 units between January and the end of September, twice as many as the GLC, which sold 23,600 units. In September, the GLC was only just behind the iX3. At Mercedes it is said internally that they want to overtake BMW by the end of the year.
The entry-level SUV GLB is also successful. The first electric vehicles have been on the roads since March. In September, the Stromer was registered around 5,000 times. The electric predecessor EQB has never sold so well in one month in recent years. The combustion engine predecessor GLB also had 3,200 units per month in its best sales year of 2021.
Mercedes sold 68,400 electric cars in the third quarter, more than ever before in a quarter. The group is benefiting from the trend towards e-mobility in view of rising fuel prices and government subsidies. One dealer reports that 60 to 70 percent of pre-orders are for electric cars.
By 2028/29, the group aims to have 40 percent of its vehicles fully electric or have a hybrid engine. This is far behind previous ambitions – but is considered realistic. In the current quarter, 25 percent of new Mercedes registrations were electrified.
There were further world premieres at Mercedes this year: the luxury sedan S-Class was revised in the same way as its Maybach Nobel version. The S-Class, which has been delivered since May, had 1,300 registrations in Europe in September - compared to fewer than 400 in January.
The large SUV series GLS and GLE were also revised and their little brother GLA was re-introduced. Mercedes presented the electric C-Class for the first time in the volume segment. And with the VLE there is a new luxury van.
These models have only recently been on the streets or are still coming. There are therefore no reliable admission figures yet. This applies to all new series, including the US market.
But there is increasing evidence that these models will also be well received. According to the company, the order books for the electric variants of the GLA, GLB, GLC and CLA in Europe are sold out for the rest of the year. The order books are expected to last well into the coming year.
Dealers also report to Handelsblatt about many pre-orders and long waiting times. The electric C-Class in particular “is really well received,” reports one. S-Class and VLE are also in demand.
What dampens the joy, however, is that in China, Mercedes' most important and once most profitable individual market, the models have so far been disappointing. The CLA, GLC and, since mid-September, the GLE are currently available in the world's largest car market.
The CLA did not sell 2,800 times between October 2025 and the end of August 2026, data from the service provider Marklines shows. In the past few months in particular, the model no longer achieved 100 registrations per month.
