Within the shadows you see in this picture lurks an all-new electric MPV from Mercedes-Benz.
The Mercedes VLE will be revealed in full early next year, but the German brand has released this teaser as it prepares its Vitoria plant in Spain for production of the new car. Once up and running, it'll churn out the VLE initially with an all-electric powertrain, but then with combustion-engine power, too.
Based on a new VAN.EA mechanical platform design primarily for vans, the VLE promises to combine the versatility of a people carrier with the driving manners of a limousine. It'll feature up to eight seats and a range of models to suit families and executive customers that need to shuttle passengers around in style.
Mercedes promises standout aerodynamics for improved efficiency over the VLE's spiritual predecessor, the EQV.
New 2026 Mercedes-Benz VLE: price and release date
We'll see the new Mercedes VLE revealed in full at some point during the first half of 2026. Prices and UK specs will be revealed after that.
New 2026 Mercedes-Benz VLE: exterior and interior
We've only seen the above teaser image and some disguised shots of the new VLE so far, so it's difficult to give too much detail about it at this stage. The teaser shot shows a large grille and the Mercedes three-pointed star logo incorporated into the LED headlights. The disguised shots, meanwhile, show a fairly traditional MPV shape designed to maximise interior space.
Save for the fact that we know it'll have up to eight seats, no interior details have been given yet. However, we'd expect the VLE to feature Mercedes' new MB.OS infotainment system, potentially with a full-width display and various connectivity and entertainment features, as well as the latest semi-autonomous driving systems.
New 2026 Mercedes-Benz VLE: motors, batteries, engines and gearboxes
Mercedes has confirmed that the VLE will be produced initially with an all-electric powertrain, but that a combustion-engined model will follow. No more details than that have been confirmed, although we do know that a pre-production VLE drove from Stuttgart in Germany to Rome in Italy – a 683-mile trip – stopping for only two 15-minute charging stops.
Some rudimentary maths would therefore point to a battery range of around 275 miles. We don't yet know what size battery the VLE will use – the current EQV uses a 90kWh battery, and a look at other Merc EVs shows a 116kWh unit in the G-Class and a 118kWh battery in the EQS. Something similar would seem likely for the VLE.
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