October 14, 2025 by Jamie Edkins
This striking concept car previews future flagship models from Mercedes, and it’s packing loads of revolutionary technology. News Editor Jamie Edkins is here to tell you everything you need to know.
Mercedes hasn’t been shying away from bold designs with its latest new cars, just look at the new GLC EV and the AMG XX, and this might just be the most bonkers yet. It’s called the Vision Iconic, and it looks like the sort of car Cruella DeVille would drive if 101 Dalmatians was set in the year 3000.
It has a properly villainnous look to it, and the Vision Iconic also previews a bunch of clever new technology which you could see on Mercedes models in the future, such as solar paint. It’s just a concept car for now, but it could be a first glimpse of the next S-Class.
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The new Mercedes GLC EV certainly created a stir back in September with its massive new light-up grille, and the brand is leaning into this new design. The Vision Iconic looks like a cartoon baddies car, in the best way possible.
I thought that grille looked slightly out of place on the GLC electric SUV, but here it looks epic. It’s inspired by car design from the 1930s, which is also why it has a bonnet long enough to land a light aircraft on.
From the side it looks similar to the Jaguar Type 00, albeit with a slightly lower roofline. Unlike that Jag, this Mercedes does have a rear window.
The 1930s theme from outside is continued inside with that four-spoke steering wheel, and the polished brass accents look like something straight out of a 20th century manor house. The seats are also upholstered in blue velvet for added comfort.
The Mercedes Vision Iconic isn’t just a design study – it also previews some high-tech new features which you could see on a future flagship Mercedes model, such as the new S-Class.
For example, this electric car has solar paint which can add more range in the sun. It’s a technology which Mercedes is researching, and it’s essentially a thin paste which is applied over the entire car, and on a mid-sized SUV this could harness almost 7,500 miles of additional range per year just by absorbing energy from the sun.
It’s also working on next-generation autonomous driving aids, and this concept car has level 4 self-driving capabilities. That means that, once you’re on the motorway, you can be completely hands-off and focus on other things, or even take a nap. This technology is still some way off being approved for use on the road though.
In short, you can’t. The Mercedes Vision Iconic is just a concept for now, however this design could inspire a future production model. The next S-Class could share some design cues with this car, as well as some of the technology.
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