The Mercedes GLC EV and the BMW Neue Klasse SUV will celebrate their world premieres at the Munich Motor Show from September 9, 2025.
Originally, the Mercedes GLC EV was planned for 2026, but Mercedes wants to catch up with BMW in terms of electric model sales, which is why it’s rushing to launch the new electric models as soon as possible. After the Mercedes CLA EV, which is already available to order, with first deliveries following in July 2025, and the CLA Shooting Brake EV which will be unveiled towards the end of 2025, Mercedes will unveil the new Mercedes GLC EV electric SUV at the Munich Mobility Show.
Mercedes GLC EV competes directly with the BMW Neue Klasse SUV which will also be unveiled at the Munich Mobility Show but also with the Audi Q6 e-tron, Porsche Macan EV, and the Tesla Model Y, which was in 2023, and 2024 the world’s best-selling electric model.The BMW Neue Klasse SUV is the successor to the BMW iX3 while the Mercedes GLC EV is the successor to the defunct Mercedes EQC produced between 2019 and 2023.
What do we already know about the BMW Neue Klasse SUV and the Mercedes GLC EV?
Both are built on a dedicated electric platform with 800V technology: the Neue Klasse at BMW and the MB.EA at Mercedes. Both models will come in single-engine, rear-wheel drive or two-motor, all-wheel drive versions.
However, there are significant differences between the two platforms.
Different engines
The BMW Neue Klasse SUV uses synchronous motors externally excited with current at the rear axle, while the front axle is driven by asynchronous motors that also do not use rare earths.
Mercedes relies on permanent magnet synchronous motors. Unlike BMW, Mercedes will use a two-speed gearbox on the rear engine, like the Porsche Taycan. The first gear has a gear ratio of 11:1 and the second is 5:1.
Engineers at BMW told us that the Neue Klasse SUV doesn’t need a two-speed gearbox at the rear engine because it operates at a very high revs of 18,000 rpm, as opposed to 12-13,000 rpm in rivals. By operating at very high revs, the BMW engine doesn’t need an extra rear axle gear.
Early indications are that the Mercedes GLC with a rear-axle engine will put out 272 PS, the same engine as the new CLA EV. The two-motor, all-wheel-drive version will have 489 PS, 135 PS more than the Mercedes CLA EV (354 PS).
The new BMW engine in the rear axle will weigh 125-130 kg and develop between 272 PS and 408 PS. The front-drive engine will weigh 70-75 kg and develop 163 PS or 245 PS, but BMW is not disclosing the combined power output of the two engines.
The motors on both models will have modern silicon carbide inverters.
Li-ion batteries with different cells
Both models will use Li-Ion batteries, with pouch cells in the Mercedes and cylindrical cells in the BMW. Both models will use NMC chemistry but BMW announced that they will use a reduced percentage of cobalt. Normally, a modern NMC battery has a 8/1/1 nichel/manganese/cobalt.
The Mercedes GLC EV’s battery will have a capacity of 94.5 kWh which will give it a WLTP range of more than 650 km on the single-motor version.
BMW hasn’t yet announced the battery capacity but did mention that there will be two cell types, 95 and 120 mm high, while the 46 mm diameter will be identical. The cylindrical cells are no longer grouped in modules but are mounted in series according to the cell-to-pack principle. The production process will use pack-to-open-body technology. This technology means that the body has no classical floor and the battery becomes an integral part of the car’s structure, with protection underneath.
BMW also comes with a twist. The energy master or battery control unit will be a completely separate piece from the battery. Reliability studies done by BMW have shown that 92% of battery failures were not in the battery cells but in the control unit and that’s why they chose to build the control unit separately.
Mercedes has announced a charging power of up to 320 kW. BMW has not yet announced the charging power but says that in 10 minutes it will charge a range of 300 km, with charging speed 30% higher than today. These figures are presented in comparison with the BMW i4 which has a charging power of 207 kW. So, a 30% increase means a 270 kW charging power.
Similar interior philosophy with more sophisticated technology from BMW
The two models will have interiors with a similar philosophy but completely different design and functionality.
BMW unveiled the new Panoramic iDrive concept at CES in Las Vegas. It consists of several elements:
– BMW Panoramic Vision – a head-up display at the base of the windshield that stretches the full width of the dashboard. The area to the left of this panoramic display takes the place of the instrument cluster, where driving-relevant information is displayed.
– BMW 3D head-up display – a head-up display with information projected onto the windshield.
– central display for the multimedia system. The driver can transfer menus from the central display to the BMW Panoramic Vision.
The Mercedes GLC EV will probably use the CLA solution with three displays grouped under the same glass. The displays stretch the full width of the dashboard from A to A-pillar.
Production in Hungary and Germany
The Mercedes GLC EV will be produced at the Bremen plant while the BMW Neue Klasse SUV will be produced at the new plant in Debrecen, Hungary. Mercedes also has a plant in Hungary, at Kecsemet, where produces the new CLA EV.