New Electric Mercedes Minivan Debuts, And It’s Gorgeous

In the early 2000s, Mercedes-Benz sold a van called the R-Class. If you missed that chapter in your automotive 101 history survey, the CliffsNotes version was that Mercedes audaciously (and incorrectly) thought they could upscale the gravitas and desirability of minivans. Mind you, the R-Class didn’t suck. Far from it. It was indeed the Mercedes-Benz of minivans. But … it was still a minivan.

What you see here, the 2026 Vision V Concept, is an attempt at something perhaps similar, and also, very different. Think of it as appealing to a very different buyer to people who want the ID. Buzz. Both are well-to-do buyers, yes. But this is for the Gucci-rather-than-Timberland-wearing buyer, but both are tempted into some kind of electric #vanlife. That’s Mercedes’ bet, anyway. The details are at least very cool and interesting, too. Just keep remembering, though, that this is still a concept.

The Quarters Look Fantastic

Let’s just reel off a few of the A/V highlights for ya.

• There’s a partition between the front seats and the rear. This can be made opaque, to cocoon the rear cabin.
• That partition can be transformed into a 65-inch cinema screen as well.
• A 42-speaker surround-sound system envelopes the rear cell of the vehicle, which is networked through a gaming console so that the passenger is completely isolated, sonically and visually, from the outer world.
• There are an additional seven projectors, and yet more speakers are used as ornamentation, protruding as functional sculptures.
• The projectors beam visualizations onto the ceiling and window surfaces, and these will also pulse in sequence to the music from the Dolby Atmos sound system.
• Subwoofers are incorporated within the seats, to provide extra sonic depth.
• The partition, floor slats and windows can all be altered from transparent to opaque via embedded LCDs, which enable the surfaces to block sun, as well as act as their own displays.

This Is A Limo

Mercedes makes it clear that they are not envisioning the Mercedes-Benz Vision V as a family hauler. This is a limousine, straight up, and you can tell why just by noting how far back they’ve put the second row. That features business-class style recliners upholstered in Nappa white leather. No, this is not a surface suitable for toddlers — or for chocolate labs. The lounge chairs sit on polished aluminum pedestals, and the cushions are said to be flexible. They look futuristic, but in a 1950s version of that term, like Eames chairs. Are they comfortable, or is the style the actual point?

Mercedes, anyway, says they’re highly comfortable and that they recline entirely, offering “first-class travel comfort” and that the flatbed position offers “ultimate relaxation.”

At least that position will offer a primo view of the all-round ambient lighting that not only backlights all of the nacelles and cubbies, but in addition, includes what Mercedes calls a ceiling lamp, which they claim, “creates an individualized and cozy living room-like environment.” Naturally, to add more pampering, the carmaker includes, “…a refined fragrance housed in a polished aluminum bottle positioned behind the center console.”

The Drivetrain Details Are …

We’ve yet to hear exactly what underpins the Mercedes-Benz Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA). We know that it’s modular, and as with the new CLA-Class, is designed to allow gas or hybridization in addition to electrification. We also know that it allows front- or all-wheel drive, that it will use the same onboard Mercedes-Benz O.S. as the new CLA, and that it will run on 800-volt architecture.

It also seems that VAN.EA is designed, in the long run, to supplant what underpins the electric and gas Sprinters, and that in theory, for that reason, since that’s made domestically, VAN.EA products likely will be, too, so, thinking out loud, this frees Mercedes from some tariff sting. All the rest, though, is still unknown, and because even though this is supposed to be a 2026 model, it’s called a concept, we don’t know how much of what you see here is mirage and how much reflects what Mercedes intends to sell.

TopSpeed’s Take

There’s another important twist. Mercedes released this vehicle in Shanghai, and that customer base may very well see a luxury van as an appealing format for limos. Mercedes also highlighted the Vision V’s aerodynamics, the dual humps on the hood, the reinterpretation of a traditional grille, and the rear roof spoiler. Some of which look very production-ready and viable, and some of which signal a pretty strong design departure from where Mercedes presently sits. We’d be surprised if the ground-effect skirting at the front survives, and we’re not so sure we love the grille.

And overall, making a van look luxurious is simply tougher than doing that with a big, even, arguably, oafish SUV. Think of the Escalade as a good example; it’s just too damn big to seem elegant. This, no question, is prettier than that, but is it what people want from Mercedes? Maybe they’ll just have to host sleepovers in the back of them to woo customers, since, clearly, the whole point is hanging out in splendid style, not driving anywhere at all.