In 2026, Mercedes will update the current generation of the S-Class. Earlier this year, CEO Ola Kallenius revealed that the luxury brand had “invested significantly more in updating its new S-Class internal combustion engine model than the company has spent on the facelift overall.” Fans will be happy to hear that the next version of the flagship from Stuttgart will retain the traditional powertrain.

Mercedes’ president spoke to British magazine Autocar and confirmed plans to replace the EQS model with an electric model of the same name. The gasoline model will remain on a platform designed for cars with internal combustion engines for a long time. Despite the common name, the EV variant will not be equivalent as it will be based on a proprietary architecture.

Callenius said the company’s top model is “the most complete car in the world” and that the internal combustion engine and EV should not share the same platform. This would be a compromise Mercedes does not want to make. Fitting a petrol engine to an electric S-class would mean sacrificing space inside the luxury cabin, and buyers will have a hard time accepting that. Doing the opposite won’t work either because engineers will have to compromise on the layout.

Creating individual models of the S-Class will be an expensive undertaking, but Mercedes will try to keep the additional investment at an acceptable level. Mercedes is already preparing for the future by making its combustion engines compliant with the upcoming Euro 7 regulations. By the way, it is one of the few automakers that still sells cars with V12 engines, unlike BMW. In the rare twelve-cylinder luxury sedan segment, Bentley and Audi have abandoned the W12. Rolls-Royce will follow suit towards the end of the decade when the V12 found in the old 7 Series will be phased out.

Considering the current S-Class is due for a facelift in a few years, this means the W223 won’t be phased out until the end of the decade. According to Motor1, the petrol (and possibly diesel) powered W224 will be available by the late 2030s.