The Mercedes-Benz flagship sedan is going the giant-screen route, and getting a bunch of cool tech on top of it.
Mercedes is continuing the slow build-up to the 2021 S-Class debut this September. This week it released the latest teaser image, alongside a quick video, to announce a trio of short films arriving this summer. The films will explore different aspects of the upcoming limo, including the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), safety, and comfort.
The first episode, arriving July 8, will focus on MBUX, so it’s appropriate this teaser shows the huge infotainment screen. The S-Class will skip over the ultra-wide setup found in models like the A-Class, moving to a large, portrait-style screen instead. Merc hasn’t dropped any measurements, but it looks somewhere between Subaru (11.6-inch) and Tesla (17.0-inch) sizes.
SEE ALSO: 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan Review
This MBUX evolution will now house the climate controls too. It isn’t clear yet if these will always remain in the frame, nor how customizable the layout will be.
The teaser episode, featuring Daimler board member Markus Schäfer, gives us a lot more to work with. Schäfer gets behind the wheel of the S-Class plug-in hybrid prototype, stating it can travel up to 62 miles (100 km) on batter power alone. This is likely on the WLTP test cycle, so we expect a lower amount for the EPA.
Easily the standout feature so far is the augmented-reality head-up display (HUD), though. The feature blends the cool augmented navigation of the current MBUX system with the head-up display. Instead of showing arrows overlaid on a central video, the HUD now lays them over the road ahead. It’s a logical next step, and it should make driving in unfamiliar areas even easier.
Unfortunately—yet equally unsurprising—the initial teasers don’t show us anything we haven’t already seen of the new S-Class exterior. There’s the thinner headlights and bigger grille, but a full look of the car likely won’t happen until its September debut.
You can watch Episode #0 at Mercedes ME Media. The full first episode debuts July 8, which will explore the latest MBUX in more detail. Episodes two and three arrive July 29 and August 12, respectively.
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