Before Mercedes-Benz officially reveals its next electric compact sedan, the discussion is already underway—and not because of a prototype caught on the road. A fresh digital interpretation from Sugar Chow, known online as “sugardesign_1,” places the future Mercedes-Benz C-Class electric directly into the public eye, this time with enough visual confidence to trigger immediate comparison with BMW’s newly introduced i3.
The unofficial project imagines the upcoming four-door model under the name Mercedes-Benz C-Class with EQ Technology, continuing the long naming logic now attached to the brand’s battery-electric range. In this case, the rendering does not appear in isolation. Its visual direction clearly draws from the recently introduced X540 Mercedes-Benz GLC with EQ Technology, the battery electric compact luxury crossover SUV launched last fall, almost at the same time BMW brought out the NA5 second-generation iX3 Neue Klasse.
That link matters because the sedan shown here essentially takes the crossover’s design language and translates it downward into a lower, more traditional silhouette. The render set presents the car from multiple angles, under changing backgrounds, sometimes standing still, sometimes shown in motion. The overall treatment aims to stay close to what a production reveal might eventually resemble, at least visually.
One image, though, pushed reactions much further.
In that frame, the virtual Mercedes sedan is placed next to a digital version of the all-new BMW i3 sedan, and comments reportedly escalated quickly. Some viewers clearly leaned toward one model, others rejected both outright. The split appears sharp enough that neither car comes away with broad agreement.
BMW already moved first in this segment. The second-generation i3 now plays the role of the electric car response to the BMW 3 Series and is intended not only as a four-door model but also as a future touring station wagon. The source refers to Mercedes-Benz as coming out later in part because of the fact that its attention in Stuttgart has been elsewhere – on the facelifted S-Class, and also on the Maybach version of the new VLE minivan.
That delay has not removed pressure. If anything, it increases it.
Design is in the eye of the beholder, and the source makes that clear: both Mercedes-Benz and BMW are working on distinctive looks, and neither is universally favoured, much less disliked. That may lead to a greater focus on equipment rather than looks.
And that’s where the companies may have more in common than their looks. Both the BMW i3 and the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class electric will likely follow the technical development of the iX3 and GLC EV in adopting new 800-volt platforms and dual-motor arrangements to boost performance.
Those fundamentals place both sedans in a serious position against Tesla. Just as importantly, they are also intended to hold ground against the rapidly advancing Chinese EV manufacturers, where hesitation has become expensive very quickly.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class EQ Renderings
