It’s no surprise that successful car models undergo rigorous developments over the years of their production cycle which usually involves a new performance package and subtle visual reworks, to keep the car attuned with the latest technology and fresh in the competitive market. This is also the case for the widely successful Mercedes S-class W222, which ever since its launch back in 2013, has racked up a sales figure of 300,000+ units worldwide.
The next generation Mercedes S-class W223, or the 2020 Mercedes S-class as some prefer to call it, was recently spotted testing in its raw-looking testing attire. The car was doing the test round wearing the body of the current gen S-Class, though the new model would look entirely different. It is reported that the upcoming Mercedes offering will be built on the new Modular Rear Architecture (MRA), which is solely engineered for rear-wheel drive cars.
The stance for this luxury car has also been re-engineered to give it a wider track with an increment of about 2-inches. Mercedes is also using their resources to develop and further enhance the carbon fibre reinforced plastic technology for the S-class W223, to keep its kerb weight as low as possible.
Performance wise, the Mercedes S-class W223 is sure to be a much more environmentally friendly luxury car in comparison to its predecessor. Powertrain configurations might include anything from mildly-hybrid setups to fully-electric setups. It is also speculated that the upcoming offerings from Mercedes may be powered by highly efficient fuel cells, which might also be the case for the S-class in question. Even though Mercedes hasn’t revealed its concrete plans for the setup they plan to use for the S-class, we can expect the already established powertrains, the S400d or the S560e to be used for the next-gen S-class.
Expect the 2021 S-Class to boast Level 3 autonomy, an advanced self-driving system. The system will allow the car to drive itself under certain specified situations without any driver input, allowing the driver to be free and catch-up on the daily news while riding to work, it seems. The regulations for autonomous vehicles is very stringent at present, but as time passes and the new system integrates well into the modern life, the S-class will do just fine on its own.
Image source: Autoevolution