A new generation of the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class compact sedan arrives next year, with an electric variant as part of the plan.
Mercedes first showed a hidden prototype of the CLA-Class EV in October, and on Wednesday released another tease in the form of a video of CEO Ola Källenius driving one of the prototypes.
2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Teaser
Under the hood, expect the CLA-Class EV to feature styling based on the CLA-Class concept unveiled at the 2023 Munich Motor Show. That concept also featured the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) engineering that will be the basis for the CLA EV and other compact Mercedes models of the next generation.
MMA will include i 800-volt electrical structurewhich Mercedes claims enables fast DC charging that can recover a range of up to 248 kilometers in 15 minutes for the Concept CLA-Class, and is built around small battery packs. Range will benefit more from efficiency than pack size, including lessons learned from the Vision EQXX, which went a record 746 miles on a single charge in 2022.
The CLA EV will be launched in 2025meaning it will likely reach the US as a 2026 model. In a teaser, Källenius confirmed that the high-performance AMG version is developing alongside the regular CLA-Class. And a hybrid powertrain option is expected to be offered alongside the all-electric ones.
Apart from the CLA-Class, which is expected to retain the status of the current four-door coupe and the Concept CLA-Class, Mercedes is expected to launch a range of small cars based on MMA underpinnings, including crossover that could serve as a rival to the Tesla Model Y.