Mercedes-Benz C-Class All-Electric Globally Debuts, Featuring a Giant Screen Spanning the Front Row
Mercedes-Benz today globally debuted the all-new all-electric C-Class sedan. The new vehicle is based on Mercedes-Benz's 800V MB.EA dedicated electric architecture, shares a technical foundation with the previously released all-electric GLC, and is one of the core products in Mercedes-Benz's electrification strategy.
Mercedes-Benz officially defines this new car as the "most sporty C-Class ever," and is expected to begin deliveries overseas in September this year, followed by introduction to the Chinese market.
In terms of exterior, the new car adopts a retro shield-style grille, and is equipped with Mercedes-Benz's iconic three-pointed star headlights at both the front and rear. The grille features 1050 backlit points that can display vivid animations when unlocking, locking, or charging.
The body lines are more streamlined compared to the fuel-powered C-Class, utilizing hidden door handles, further optimizing the drag coefficient. Due to the all-electric powertrain, the new car also features a 101-liter front trunk.
The interior is the focus of this release, with high-end models equipped with a 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen spanning the entire center console, displaying 10 million pixels. The entire screen is also divided into three display areas: the instrument cluster area, the central display area, and the co-driver entertainment area.
Most physical buttons have been removed from the interior, with only a few physical buttons retained on the center console and steering wheel.
Lower-end models adopt a traditional triple-screen layout "Super Screen," and both configurations support a screen tilt adjustment of 10° to 15°.
The interior is equipped with the latest generation of MBUX intelligent human-machine interaction system, and is also the world's first in-vehicle infotainment system to simultaneously integrate ChatGPT 4o, Microsoft, and Google AI artificial intelligence technologies.
In terms of interior design, the new car integrates Mercedes-Benz's unique luxurious style. The new Nappa leather sports seats also feature an exclusive "twisted diamond" design, with a highly textured feel.
Mercedes-Benz states that the new car has been simultaneously upgraded in terms of space and comfort, and is positioned as the sportiest generation of C-Class.
The new car is equipped with AIRMATIC air suspension, paired with an "intelligent chassis road surface memory function," which can adjust the suspension height and damping according to road conditions ahead; the rear wheels are equipped with a rear-wheel steering system with a steering angle of 4.5 degrees in each direction, which can reduce the turning diameter to 11.2 meters.
In terms of power and range, the released version is the dual-motor C 400 4MATIC version, matched with a two-speed gearbox, balancing range and power. The combined power of the dual motors is 360 kilowatts, the maximum torque is 590 Newton-meters, the 0-100 km/h acceleration time is 4 seconds, and the top speed is 210 km/h.
It is equipped with a 94kWh ternary lithium battery pack, with a WLTP range of 762 kilometers, and also features a 330kW DC fast charge, which can add over 325 kilometers of range in 10 minutes (WLTP), and only 22 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%.
It is understood that Mercedes-Benz's MB.EA all-electric architecture is no longer compatible with fuel-powered systems, which means that Mercedes-Benz is accelerating its departure from the "oil-to-electric" era.
In terms of price and positioning, Mercedes-Benz's all-electric C-Class directly targets mid-size luxury all-electric sedans such as the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i3.
However, with the terminal price of the BMW i3 already dropping to the 200,000 yuan range, and the pricing of comparable models from Chinese domestic brands generally ranging from 150,000 to 250,000 yuan, how Mercedes-Benz prices its all-electric C-Class will be crucial in determining its market performance.