Could This Mercedes-Benz Be the Swankiest Minivan On The Planet?

Wanna blow your image of a traditional minivan out of the water? Mercedes-Benz's Vision V luxury van concept is fun and fanciful, but significant in that it could redefine executive travel—and erase any notions that minivans are frumpy. Just don’t call it a minivan around Mercedes executives.

The Vision V, unveiled at the Shanghai auto show, offers a first look at the future design direction for Mercedes’ next-generation vans, coming in 2026. It is equally important from an engineering standpoint, riding on Mercedes’ new VAN.EA (for electric architecture) platform designed for electric commercial and luxury private vans. It looks to create a new segment of high-end chauffeur-driven luxury vehicles that could replace the S-Class as a show of prestigious transport.

Mercedes sees this as white space in the market. China has many MPVs, North America has large SUVs, but the interiors are often not comfortable or high-end enough. The automaker sees these new vans as an open path to profitable growth, especially given the signals sent by customers interested in aftermarket luxury conversions of run-of-the-mill Mercedes commercial vans.

Mercedes began working on the VAN.EA years ago. It was to be a purpose-built EV platform, devoid of compromises to also accommodate an internal combustion engine. But the appetite for EVs has not grown as quickly as anticipated. The decision was made to offer a variant of the platform that includes a combustion engine. Engineers added VAN.CA (Van Combustion Architecture) which will spawn hybrid versions of future vans, again for both private and fleet sales.

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Electric Vans Launch First

Under the Vision V’s auto-show eye candy, things like those huge wheels, which feature in-built illumination, are lots of production-ready or near-production ideas that are likely to be seen on future Mercedes-Benz models. Most of the Vision V’s impressive audio-visual arsenal is powered by existing software and apps; what’s different is the scale at with their outputs are being deployed. The switchable glass technology used on the partition screen is also used in the panorama roof and the side windows and the levels of opacity can be programmed to create patterns in the glass. Mercedes has already offered first-class seating in the center row of top-spec models of its outgoing V Class. What’s most important about the Vision V, however, is that it previews the new electric powered Mercedes-Benz VLS and VLE MPVs set for launch in 2026.

The VLS and VLE will be underpinned by Mercedes-Benz’s new electric powered VAN.EA Private architecture. (VAN.EA Commercial, which shares its powertrain hardware with VAN.EA Private, is being developed to underpin a new range of workhorse Sprinter vans that will look nothing like the forthcoming VLS or VLE.) The first vans launching in 2026 will be electric only, likely in China and in the highest trims. They will also be sold in Europe, the United States, and Canada. The hybrids with their combustion engines will follow later.

The vans will be offered in standard and long-wheelbase, front and all-wheel drive. They will offer a variety of seating choices for four, six, seven, or eight passengers, with a flat floor and 800-volt electrical architecture.

The VAN platforms are scalable, meaning they can be used to launch a full range of multipurpose vehicles from midsize to large commercial vans, and from entry-level family vehicles to VIP shuttles and limos, and eventually autonomous vehicles. While sharing the same basic architecture, there will be an ocean of difference between the commercial and private vans in shape, styling, and features. Mercedes originally planned to work with Rivian on its next-generation vans but when Rivian—which put more emphasis on commercial vans—backed out in 2022, development of the Mercedes vans took a new turn.

Marching orders were to create the perfect battery electric van. Because the architecture was optimized for EVs; the ICE versions have a few compromises, like a higher floor to accommodate the batteries they don't carry. The combustion engine models will be hybridized but what kind—regular, plug-in, or extended-range—is still being determined, as are battery sizes for the EVs, especially for North America.

The EV and ICE vans share 70 percent of the same parts and will be built on the same assembly line. Executives did not say where they will be built, but it will likely be in China and another region. The VAN.EA architecture positions its main motor at the front axle as Mercedes engineers wanted a completely flat floor right through to the rear bumper. That means two-wheel drive VAN.EA vehicles front-wheel drive. The dual-motor 4Matic all-wheel-drive models will have an e-motor that’s half the size and with half the power of the front unit driving the rear wheels. Compared with the front e-motor, which has its inverter and power stacked above it, the rear e-motor has also been rotated through 90 degrees to the rear so its smaller inverter and power electronics can be packaged underneath the floor.

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Swanky Swanky Swanky

The first electric vans will be the most luxurious. The Vision V limo concept—which is close to production—provides strong hints of what to expect at the top end. It is a four-passenger luxury-mobile designed to be driven by a chauffeur while the owner lounges in the back. It must meet the high standards and demand for this kind of vehicle in China, a benchmark that benefits all global customers.

Yes, the Mercedes-Benz Vision V, unveiled at the Shanghai Show, has the boxy, space-optimized silhouette of a typical seven- or eight-seat family hauler. Yet it conceals a glitzy interior that makes a Maybach cabin look cramped and dowdy; a sybaritic space for two that redefines the concept of a luxury limousine. “This is not just a car. It is a statement,” said Mercedes-Benz Chairman and CEO Ola Källenius as he unveiled the Vision V concept in China on the eve of the Auto Shanghai 2025 show. “It is the redefinition of space in a passenger vehicle and a reimagination of rear seat luxury.”

Sitting in the Lap of Luxury

Källenius describes the rear cabin of the Vision V as a private lounge on wheels. You hop inside via the large sliding door that opens automatically, using the illuminated retractable running board to climb aboard. The first-class lounge seats sit on polished aluminum bases and recline to an almost flat bed. The center console automatically adjusts to each seating position. The footrests also act as storage when you take off your shoes.

The concept's interior is covered in crystal white Nappa leather and white silk set against dark open pore burled wood including display cabinets, like sideboards, set in the side walls to store handbags, sunglasses or water bottles. The center console between the rear seats is also a display cabinet and has a touchpad to control the infotainment system as well as a fold-out table that is also a chessboard.

The two rear seat passengers are partitioned from the front seats by a glass screen that can be switched to opaque, an intelligent glass partition that can be transparent or opaque for privacy from the driver. It can be changed completely, or in sections.

If those rear passengers want to be entertained, they can activate, via touchpad mounted on console between the two seats, a flexible 65-inch projection screen that can be seen through glass slats in the floor as it rolls out and up into place. The screen, which can be used for movies, TV, or gaming, delivers 4K resolution imagery courtesy of seven projectors that can also use the side windows to immerse viewers in the experience. The visuals are complemented by a 42-speaker Dolby Atmos surround-sound audio system that includes exciters in the seats and ambient lighting that pulses in time with the soundtrack.

If gaming is not your thing, the screen shows movies; streams music; plays karaoke; can be set to a relax mode; become a virtual fireplace or giant navigation screen with 3D graphics of the surroundings; or serve as an office for video calls, emails, and web surfing or shopping.

For busy executives on the go, the Vision V’s rear cabin can also be configured as a mobile workspace, enabling video calls while a digital personal assistant structures routine tasks and prepares curated information. Shopaholics can shop on their way to the store, a virtual storefront displaying goods in a realistic store environment. Those passengers who want to know what they’re being driven past can call up a surround navigation display on the 65-inch screen that uses 3D game-engine graphics and augmented reality overlays to display an enhanced view of the Vision V’s surroundings. Karaoke enthusiasts can sing themselves hoarse, while those who just want to unwind can just call up a Relax mode that displays soothing landscapes on the screen while the sound system burbles soft music.

For the driver, the van has the Mercedes Superscreen—three screens stretching across the width of the van.

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Doesn’t Look Like a Traditional Minivan

The exterior is dominated by the large front grille and an illuminated three-pointed star that stands proud of the hood—an increasing rarity in the modern Mercedes lineup and typically a signifier of the richer models it offers (think: S-Class and Maybachs). The power bulges on the hood are visually extended through the base of the windshield by way of corresponding bulges on the top of the dash. The bodysides feature sharp creases front and rear that accentuate the shoulder line, under which the surface has been artfully sculpted to catch reflections and—working in concert with the giant 24-inch alloy wheels—reduce the visual mass. The silver framed greenhouse highlights relatively shallow windows that help visually pull the gently curving roofline closer to the body.

The grille, high-tech spokeless wheels, and Mercedes star are all illuminated with hundreds more stars in the grille, headlights, taillights, brake lights, and framing the rear window. The rear end is framed by a huge, wrap-around taillight.

We don’t know all the details, but U.S.-market VLS and VLE models will likely all be 4Matics, with a battery that delivers an EPA-rated range of more than 300 miles and equipped with air suspension and rear-wheel steering. They will be available with what Mercedes-Benz sources claim will be the largest panorama roof in the industry and 22-inch alloy wheels. Sources say the two aircraft-style seats in the rear cabin of the top-spec VLS will recline 152 degrees, and while the Vision V’s flexible mega- scren system isn’t for production, occupants can opt to be entertained by a full-width, large format OLED screen that deploys from storage compartments behind the front seats.

The decision to unveil the Vision V in Shanghai was deliberate: Aftermarket shops in China are already doing big business outfitting V-Class vans with bespoke luxury interiors for customers who want to be chauffeured in style and Mercedes wants to cut out the middleman. The company believes China will be the biggest market for the VLS and VLE. And the second biggest? The U.S. Is America ready for a luxury MPV that could cost more than an S-Class? We’ll find out next year.

Mercedes is not saying if there could be a Maybach version in the future as well. There is not much more that can be added to this luxo-machine that replaces the Mercedes V-Class and expands the top end of the lineup. Again, just really don’t call it a minivan around Mercedes execs.