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Mercedes-Benz will launch a radical new GLC next year, an important new model for the German firm as it looks to gain a foothold in Europe’s most hotly contested new car segment.

Launching at the same time as the new BMW iX3, its key segment rival, the electric GLC not only marks Mercedes' next step in electrification but also will be the first car to embody the brand’s bold new-era design language – something that will be adopted across the rest of the range in the coming years.

It will be sold alongside the current, second-generation combustion-engined GLC, which was launched in 2022. That car has regularly been Mercedes’ best-selling model since its introduction in 2015 and the firm hopes the new GLC EV – successor to the discontinued EQC SUV – can leverage the equity built by the GLC name and be a catalyst for Mercedes’ EV sales. 

Going on sale in early 2026, the electric GLC – which we've already driven in prototype form – will become the first model to use the Mercedes-Benz Electric Architecture (MB.EA), which will also form the basis of the upcoming electric C-Class, due at the end of 2026 or start of 2027. 

It supports an 800V electrical architecture and has an expected maximum charging speed beyond the 320kW of the new MMA-based CLA EQ – the longest-range and most efficient EV currently on sale.

Mercedes officials have confirmed to Autocar that the electric GLC will draw electricity from a 94.5kWh battery, which will provide up to 435 miles of range in its most efficient form.

While that is a significant amount of range for an SUV, matching today's class-leading Peugeot e-3008, it will be beaten by the new iX3, which is promised to offer 497 miles.

The electric GLC will be sold with single- and dual-motor powertrains, offering up to 482bhp in dual-motor guise.

An AMG performance flagship is due in 2027 and is tipped to offer up to 600bhp.

In styling terms, the GLC will introduce Mercedes' new look. A key aspect of this is the new nose. Official pictures from the German firm show a reinvented grille design that fuses classic styling with bold lighting elements. 

This includes a chrome front perforated with 942 small holes. Behind the panel are more than 100 LEDs, which enable the grille to light up in a variety of customisable ways.

The central star logo is also illuminated, although the extent to which it is will be dependent on local regulations.

Mercedes boss Ola Källenius said the new design would ensure Mercedes could maintain its identity through its EVs “in current times, with 100-plus Chinese firms” and others entering the market; and ensure it could carry “the calling card of Mercedes, the unmistakable Mercedesness” into the future when new ICE cars finally go off sale from 2035.

Like the smaller CLA, the GLC’s overall design is of a progressive look. It draws heavily on Mercedes’ Vision EQXX concept car in terms of aerodynamic performance and minimising the loads on the motors to maximise efficiency.

For reference, the streamlined EQXX extracted 627 miles from a 100kWh battery pack last year. 

As a result, this approach will yield a futuristic-looking design, with a rakish bubble-like roofline.

According to Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener, the ambition is to give the new model “a strong identity” in the “sea of sameness” that he perceives among today’s EVs. 

Much of the GLC’s cockpit design remains under wraps, but the new CLA hints at what to expect. That car’s dashboard is designed around the latest iteration of Mercedes’ Superscreen, which spans the width of the dashboard with three digital displays – a 10.25in screen for driving information, a 14.6in infotainment screen in the middle and a 14in screen for the front passenger.

Like its iX3 rival, the GLC will dispense with many physical buttons and instead use voice controls backed by artificial intelligence systems.