UNCLOAKED: 2021 Mercedes S-Class FIRST Official Image Surfaces - Is What You Hoped For?

It feels like the dated same-old-same-old mid-cycle updates that the Germans love. It needed to grow stylistically and this is utter stagnation. It better than the BMW LS and the Audi Delta 88, but not enough of an improvement. Now the burden will be on the EQS to "do something".

I find the Toyota Century more compelling.

I agree to an extent but One thing about Mercedes design team and the company in general is they are very aware of the climate of the world and what’s going on. They usually have multiple sketches of a model, each accomplishing something different, from stylish to flashy and pushing the envelope, to more reserved and conservative depending on what the times call for...

We have now entered a global depression, nothing like this has ever been seen before, while this S Class design is not my favorite, I find it very fitting for the uncertain world its about to enter

But because it looks 10 years old, sales could very well COLLAPSE.

LMAO, who’s sales haven’t COLLAPSED in this ECONOMY, plus it’s a sedan, Benz doesn’t expect it to sell anything like a GLC

Nothing says you have arrived like a Mercedes S class whether it be on your first date, a visit to your in-laws, a class reunion, the country club, curb side pickup, or whatever. These will sell as they always have.

I'll wager that the EQS will bite a chunk out for being the "EV S Class" more or less.

These will be once again snapped up by corporate executives, attorneys, and others who are used to being driven around in luxury. The rest will be purchased by those who want to look like they are in the first group.

It's going to be another home run. They know what their customers want.

Mercedes doesn't drop the ball with the S Class.

S Class, 750L, A8L and even the Lexus LS are cars that should be driven by your chauffeur not you if you want to make people aware of your status.

Be the full brahma, baby.

The suicide door Continental is the one to have.

I think chauffeuring is dying out because of the changing nature of wealth and success around the world.

The trend has been towards self-made wealth, or at least earned through hard work, smart decisions, etc., etc. As opposed to inheritance, or something like that.

Consequently, those kinds of people would naturally want to drive their own cars. They drive everything else in their lives, with great success, why wouldn't they literally want to drive themselves in high-dollar status symbol toys?

Certainly in America, the vast majority of Big Boy Sedans (c) are driven by their owners. It's a mix in Europe, and China is the only major market where "anybody who's anybody" is chauffeured.

Even Rolls-Royce says most of its cars are driven by their owners. Most of their owners may also have drivers (even if they're part-time on-call), but they still like to get behind the wheel themselves. The exception to this is the Phantom of course, but there are still more owners who drive it themselves than you might think. That fact does baffle me though, as the Phantom is a chauffeur vehicle to the exclusion of all else, so I can't imagine how someone could get pleasure from driving it.

I myself have a new 7-Series, and I enjoy its comfort and quietness just as much as I enjoy its power and (relative) handling ability. Cruising in silence is enjoyable sometimes, and sometimes putting modded Golf GTIs in their place is fun; as the driver I can enjoy both.

As the young owner of a 2019 M760i, I understand NewQ's perspective.

However, my mother who has owned a roster of 7er V12s (and some 740s/750s as well) before me as personal use cars and my dad numerous XJs, Arnage of yore, D4 A8 W12, and now Range Rover LWBs, don't always drive themselves, as a semi-retired physicians (diversified business interests).

Unlike me who has to truly work for most of my money to present (independent of them/extended family $$) and is at best, worth 1/20th of their fortune, but have a (very) few million in entirety in net, I cannot hope to have chauffeurs on standby like they do. It's a pipe dream.

My mother being born in 1960 isn't that old nor is my father, born earlier in the 50s. They drive themselves, but all of their fleet vehicles in the bigger cities of TX, GA, NY, and CA, are strictly chauffeur driven. Ditto for Africa and when in London.

Only at their family residence in Birmingham UK, do they forgo use of a driver and drive their respective 7ers and 2009 Arnage themselves. I believe for everyone it varies, depending on where they are.

Excuse my typos,changed some text last minute.

I wouldn't want suicide doors. It reminds me too much of the Kennedy assassination.

And Maybachs remind me of Hitler.

I wish the grille was a bit more angular (but not like an Audi grille).

And anyone thinking this design approach will hurt it should look at the GLS sales. It's been roundly criticized for it's more conservative approach, but it crushed the X7 in Q1 sales.

Just like the last set of leaked images may have been bad angles, this one strikes me as the "good" angle. Like one of those old MySpace pictures.

Looking just at the image though, it has promise. I remember it took me a few weeks to warm up to the current generation.

It all comes down to something as subtle as the angles and shape of the grille. If it looks too much like a catfish, it's going to be at odds with the (presumably) stately character of the rest of the car.

In the luxury car market it is my opinion that wealthy people do not like "radical" design language in their cars. The German car companies have determined in general that conservative change works best for sales. This is why Porsche has "911" design language through out their product line. Yes BMW is experimenting with the big twin nostril grill.
However it harks back to their original more slender grill. Audi design has not changed all that much in a decade. But the feeling is that this is what most buyers of luxury vehicles want. Not a space ship.