If you'd suspected that Mercedes' F700 show car was a preview of cues we'd soon see on production cars, there's a Schulte Design rendering to bolster your theory. The current S-Class debuted in 2005, so we won't see its replacement for a couple of years, but there's already lots of development underway. The new sheetmetal will be a full redesign, not a freshening, and the rendering depicts a car that takes inspiration from the F700, but tones the cues down a bit. The shape of the front end is very similar, with the headlights and grille echoing what Mercedes showed us in Frankfurt. Along the flanks, the arcing line at the base of the windows has been toned down. Of course, while it's a good rendering, it's still an unofficial composite image, so we should just wait and see.
Solid word on powertrains has come down from on high, though. Mercedes is looking at a hybrid version of the S-Class to compete with the Lexus LS600hL. Our current S-Class will get a mild hybrid for 2009, and there's a Bluetec Hybrid under development packing 224 horsepower/560Nm and returning 44mpg. The engines we know and love in the current S-Class will largely carry over, though we'd expect that attention to efficiency and the hybrid powertrains will be more important because of the new CAFE standards.
[Source: eGMCarTech, Rendering: Schulte Design]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Johnny @ Jan 16th 2008 4:40PM
Last week was 2007. Im still thinking of what to eat tonight. I dont know what Im doing this weekend. Lets please leave talk of a 2011 S-Class to a future date. The current one just came out.
DIRETTORE @ Jan 16th 2008 10:07PM
Johny B Good! S-Class just came out? Yeah, around 3 years ago. In the Japanese life cycle it would now be in its last year of production heading off to that great highway in the sky to R.I.P.
CastleCharles you are absolutely right. Couldn't agree with you more about the Cadi 16! Truly a shame they dont build it. It would truly be a Halo car & if they did it properly with Hi Quality, Lo Volume, I could see collector status with Hi Resale value. Not everyone needs or wants a sportscar (I do), but way more people could go for a Hyper Luxury Sedan they could use all year round.
jim @ Jan 16th 2008 4:51PM
Rumor has it that the in order to comply with upcoming EU environmental and mileage standards the 2011 S-Class will be built on a stretched Smart platform
Kevin @ Jan 16th 2008 5:25PM
Why can't they make the S-class boxier looking? Bring back the cues from the 80's and mid 90's S-classes while utilizing today's technology.
These new S-classes are too soft, round and flabby (or chunky) in design. It would be good if Struttgard made the flagship sedan more chiseled.
Dave @ Jan 16th 2008 5:27PM
I hope that this isnt the styling direction for any Mercedes, let alone the flagship. It isnt elegant or pretty or sporty, its just unattractive. The current models are fussy but nicely proportioned.
CastleCharles @ Jan 16th 2008 5:44PM
This is a great design and WILL be the direction of all future Mercs. The concept it came from was better, but this is a good start, very futuristic, yet classic Mercedes. This will look great in driveway next to the Cadillac Sixteen, and the reason Cadillac MUST built that car.
psarhjinian @ Jan 16th 2008 9:41PM
I mean, really, what's the point of a "rendered speculation?" What's the difference between this and me whipping out my copy of LightWave and modelling something?
Does Shulte have some kind on "in" with Mercedes? Is there anything in the article that would lend any credence, any at all, that the next S will look anyting like this? Isn't this really someone's guess (read: complete fabrication) as to what the next could look like?
Derek @ Jan 16th 2008 10:05PM
The difference is that these guys rendered the pic and you didn't. Jealous? j/k
I, too, would really like to know why these guys know more than anyone else.
Dougie Nagi @ Jan 21st 2008 12:44AM
Mercedes will surely lose it to Bmw, come 2011.. Thats a very ugly merc right there....