2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class coming soon

Mercedes-Benz has offered the first official look at its upcoming S-Class flagship, just days after it was leaked online.

The new range-topping sedan will enter production later this year, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius last night confirmed in a digital press conference.

“I drove a preproduction model and it’s amazing,” Kallenius said, describing the car as a “technological tour de force”.

“We drove it around, even at high speed on the autobahn. Very serene and quiet ride. The predecessor set the bar high but the new S-Class will be special.”

The photo released overnight is the first official image of the new S-Class, but last week’s leaked photos mean we have a good idea how the car will look – inside and out.

Up front, the car will adopt a slimmer set of headlights than the current car, with an evolution of the shield-shaped grille used on non-AMG models.

As before, the three-pointed star sits proud of the bonnet. Inside will represent a larger departure from the outgoing S-Class.

Gone are the two widescreen displays of the current model, replaced with a portrait-oriented display flowing out of the transmission tunnel, and the bones of what could be a new type of head-up display in front of the driver.

The steering wheel is the same spindly unit used in the updated E-Class, while the four air vents are more in keeping with the GLS than the current passenger car range.

The petrol-fired S-Class will be joined by a pure-electric EQS sedan.

Despite entering its sixth year on sale, the current S-Class owns its (small) slice of the Australian car market. With 209 delivered in 2019, it comfortably outsold the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8.