Mercedes-Benz has always had a vague naming convention that made sense in some aspects but not in others. But now the brand has announced a consolidation of its naming and badging scheme, to help make each letter combination synonymous with a particular body style. They’ve also done away with multiple badges for diesel derivatives. So how is this new naming scheme going to work? Like this: A – Compact, front-wheel drive platform, with the exception of the B Class MPV which also uses this platform. C – ‘Compact executive’ class CL – 4-door coupe E – Executive vehicles S – Large, luxury-class vehicles SL – Roadsters G and GL – SUV models As such the GLA is a GL (SUV) A (Compact FWD) Class. The ‘Core model series’ titles will remain as A, B, C, E, and S class models based on their platforms and intended segment. The 4-door coupes will be the CLA and CLS, and the roadster models will be the SL and SLC – the latter of which is currently denoted as the SLK. The SUV’s will receive the largest name-change, and all will now feature the G prefix. SUV models will now be the G Class, GLS (previously GL, but now with the S to denote largest and most luxurious), GLE (previously ML), GLC (Previously GLK), and the existing GLA. The upcoming coupe SUV, previously touted as MLC, will be known as the GLE Coupe. In addition to the name changes, drivetrain derivatives will also be rebranded, using a lower-case letter after the model designation as follows: c for “compressed natural gas” – (Natural Gas Drive until now) d for “diesel” – (BlueTEC and CDI until now) e for “electric” – (PLUG-IN HYBRID, BlueTEC PLUG-IN HYBRID and Electric Drive until now) f for “fuel cell” – (F-CELL until now) h for “hybrid” – (HYBRID and BlueTEC HYBRID until now)
The petrol derivatives will receive no extra badging and will remain as is i.e. C180, E400 etc. The 4MATIC badging will be included on all 4/AWD equipped models; with Mercedes stating that AWD will play an important role in future models. Same old Mercedes-Benz, but now with a new naming scheme – but it shouldn’t matter much. As Shakespeare once said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Along with the naming strategy, Mercedes has also announced a revival of the Maybach nameplate, but you can read more on that HERE.
