Mercedes has confirmed when its all-new VLE electric minivan will step into the spotlight, and the date is set for March 10 in Stuttgart. Along with the announcement, the company dropped a teaser image that gives us a close look at the front end. The bright star-patterned daytime running lights immediately tie the production VLE to the earlier Vision V concept.

Related: New Mercedes VLE Could Be The Most Opulent Minivan Ever In America

While the concept turned heads with its bold proportions and almost sci-fi surfacing, the VLE keeps things fractionally more grounded. Even so, the family resemblance is clear, and Mercedes is not shy about saying this is the start of a new era.

It will be the first model built on the brand’s fresh VAN.EA electric platform, which is modular and scalable to cover everything from basic people carriers to plush shuttles and big delivery vans.

Mercedes says the VLE mixes limousine-like ride quality with MPV practicality. Think flexible seating for up to eight, a pillar-to-pillar MBUX Hyperscreen dashboard that runs the latest version of Mercedes-Benz’s (MB.OS) operating system, and tons of clever storage ideas.

A more luxurious VLS variant with lounge-style chairs and a huge 4K rear entertainment screen comes later for buyers who want full chauffeured opulence and fewer seats.

Biggest Grille Yet

The teaser image shows a smooth nose with an even bigger grille than the one on the new GLC EQ flanked by those star-shaped DRLs, which give the van a distinctive identity.

Recent prototypes caught winter testing suggested the overall shape will closely track the Vision V’s silhouette with a lower roofline and more sculpted body sides to avoid the usual slab-sided look of most big vans. Our own Carscoops rendering, seen below, shows how the production VLE could look.

Under the skin, the electric VAN.EA platform is expected to deliver single and dual motor options to cover a wide performance spread, entry versions making do with 268 hp (272 PS / 200 kW) and top models nudging 470 hp (476 PS / 350 kW).

300+ Mile Range

Battery sizes could vary from 90 kWh to almost 120 kWh, with WLTP ranges of over 300 miles (500 km) in the most efficient versions, and all VLEs are able to take 350 kW inputs thanks to their 800-volt electrics. Today’s combustion vans will still be offered, but they ride on a different platform.

Mercedes calls the VLE the world’s first luxury urban SUV, though really it is a high-end electric minivan with big ambitions that arrives after similar vans from Lexus, Volvo, and Zeekr.

We’ll get the full details in March, but the early signs suggest the people mover class is about to get a lot more glamorous, though maybe not quite as glamorous as the Vision V concept shown below.

Mercedes

Mercedes unveiled the GLC EQ at the Munich Motor Show this fall, but that’s not the end of the story. Quite the opposite as spy photographers have now snapped the first pictures of what appears to be a new three-row variant.

Spied parked alongside the regular model, the seven-seat crossover has a familiar design that closely echoes its smaller counterpart. However, we can see a flatter roof, updated rear doors, and a unique rear end.

More: Star-Stricken Mercedes GLC EV Has A Grille Big Enough To Swallow A BMW iX3

The latter has been extended and features a more upright rear window. The camouflage also suggests larger third-quarter glass and a reimagined D-pillar.

Besides the special touches, the model has starry headlights and plastic body cladding. We can also see a familiar grille and rear light bar with circular elements.

Spy photographers didn’t get a look inside, but the model should have a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14-inch infotainment system.

Buyers will also likely have the option to upgrade to the MBUX Superscreen, which adds a 14-inch front passenger display. If that isn’t enough screens, the available MBUX Hyperscreen features a 39.1-inch display that spans the width of the dashboard.

We can also expect a familiar powertrain that consists of a 94 kWh battery pack as well as a dual-motor all-wheel drive system developing 483 hp (360 kW / 490 PS) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque.

This enables the regular model to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.3 seconds, hit a top speed of 130 mph (210 km/h), and have a WLTP range of 418 miles (673 km).

The three-row crossover is believed to be designed for China. However, that’s not entirely certain as the model would make sense in a number of markets.

Baldauf

Mercedes is gearing up to introduce the redesigned GLB on December 8 and the camouflage is starting to come off. This gives us our best look at the upcoming crossover, which will be offered with an electric powertrain.

While the front and rear ends are heavily disguised, the crossover’s profile has been exposed. This reveals an evolutionary design, which closely resembles the Smart #5. The similarities are striking as both have flush-mounted door handles and a corresponding greenhouse. The déjà vu design extends to the lower cladding and pronounced rear haunches.

More: New Mercedes GLB Goes Big On Screens And Stars

Compared to the current GLB, we can see starry new headlights and streamlined bodywork. Designers also gave the crossover a more conventional beltline and a completely new rear end.

The latter has vertical taillights that appear to be connected by an illuminated bar. Elsewhere, the license plate recess has been moved from the liftgate to the rear bumper.

A High-Tech And Screen-Focused Interior

Mercedes revealed the GLB’s interior earlier this month and the model will offer an optional MBUX Superscreen. It should consist of a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-inch infotainment system, and a 14-inch front passenger display.

Buyers will also find a new steering wheel, a floating center console, and an available wireless smartphone charger. There will also be five- and seven-seat configurations.

Speaking of which, Mercedes said the second-row has additional legroom as well as “noticeably more headroom.” Third-row passengers will find improved entry and egress.

A panoramic glass roof will come standard and customers can upgrade to an illuminated roof that features a “starry sky.” One version of the roof will also be able to transition from clear to opaque in a matter of milliseconds.

The crossover is expected to echo the CLA and offer an 85 kWh battery pack as well as two powertrains at launch. The entry-level variant could have a rear-mounted motor with 268 hp (200 kW / 272 PS) and 247 lb-ft (335 Nm) of torque. Customers can also expect a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing 349 hp (260 kW / 354 PS) and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm) of torque.

They should be joined by a hybrid powertrain that has a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a 1.3 kWh battery pack, and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission with an integrated electric motor. This enables the European CLA to have outputs of 154 hp (115 kW / 156 PS) and 206 lb-ft (280 Nm) as well as 181 hp (135 kW / 184 PS) and 243 lb-ft (330 Nm).

Mercedes went head-to-head with BMW at September’s Munich Auto Show, with both companies revealing compact electric SUVs, and the Bavarian iX3 definitely looked more dynamic in our view, despite the best efforts of the GLC’s huge new grille.

But AMG is working on its own GLC version that could deliver the stage presence the stock model lacked.

Related: Mercedes Is Preparing A 40-Car Blitz To Reshape Its Future

Our spy photo team caught a Mercedes-AMG GLC EQ prototype testing in Germany, managing to fire off shots of both the exterior and interior and, thus, highlighting some important details.

One is the wider track versus the non-AMG version, the fat forged alloy wheels being pushed to the outer edges of the bodywork to improve both the handling and the visual swagger.

What Visual Changes Will AMG Bring?

Helping push those wheels into the pavement is another AMG-specific detail, a pop-up rear spoiler mounted at the top of the rear hatch. It’s also likely that the spoiler will be paired with a rear diffuser in the production version, even if we can’t see one on this prototype.

SH Proshots

Also not fully visible on this test car is the AMG grille. We know it’ll be massive, probably carrying over the same basic outline as the new full-height grille that got its first outing on the regular GLC EQ in September, and has since been seen again on the gorgeous Vision Iconic GT concept that broke cover a few weeks after.

However, we’re still waiting to see what AMG has in mind for the grille’s center section and whether it will integrate its now-traditional vertical vanes.

Sporty Cabin, Supercar-Rivaling Power

Less mystery shrouds the interior after spy photographers snuck up close to a parked GLC and fired off some shots revealing the presence of a set of heavily bolstered black and red bucket seats. Expect the door panels and center armrest to be trimmed to match by the time production starts, probably midway through 2026.

Of course, no AMG model would be complete without a gigantic injection of horsepower. Mercedes has so far only revealed one powertrain for the GLC, a 483 hp (490 PS / 360 kW) dual-motor setup for the GLC 400 4Matic that draws juice from a 94 kWh battery to deliver up to 443 miles (713 km) of WLTP range.

Not bad, but the AMG version will leave it for dust if (as rumored) it rocks up with three Yasa axial flux motors and as much as 938 hp (952 PS / 700 kW).

SH Proshots