► CAR reveals all about the upcoming Mercedes CLA
► New efficient hybrid, plus EV with 450-mile-plus range
► Runs on an all-new MMA platform, launches in 2025
Mercedes has given CAR access to the tech and engineering beneath the all-new CLA – the small saloon that launches in 2025.
The all-new, small saloon model is the first to use the new Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA), which is designed to use both hybrid and battery-electric powertrains. Merc is serious about this new model and the platform underneath, with boss Ola Källenius having already said previously that the brand will ‘substantially elevate every aspect of what our customers can expect in this segment.’
Fightin’ talk, but not just talk. The new MMA platform includes plenty of innovations for Mercedes-Benz and some big numbers that’ll shake up the small premium car market.
Hybrid and electric power options?
Yes. As the brand rows back and reprioritises after going in hard (perhaps a little too hard) with its EQ brand of battery-electric cars, there will be both available as the MMA platform is designed to house both without compromise.
The first is an all-new hybrid powertrain, comprising an all new ‘M252’ 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, 1.3kWh battery pack and e-motor – as well as a newly-developed eight-speed dual-clutch transmission designed to work seamlessly with the powertrain.
Unlike previous engine developments, this is an entirely The engine itself is smaller and 17 per cent lighter than the 1.5-litre M260 engine this replaces, and the whole system isn’t just a mild hybrid – Mercedes claims you can drive several miles on e-power at up to 62mph.
Mercedes says there will be three power outputs for the hybrid model: 134bhp, 161bhp and 188bhp. In terms of fuel economy, powertrain engineer Karsten Krebs says the new hybrid will be ‘reaching diesel-level fuel efficiency.’ So much so that the brand doesn’t plan on offering a plug-in hybrid model to make things easier; ‘we think the system we’ll offer with 48 volts is the best combination we can offer for daily use,’ says transmission engineer Jan Becker.
Your other option is a battery-electric model, which the brand will not label as an EQA. Mercedes-Benz has made strides to improve battery cell chemistries and is introducing new electric drive motors that are more efficient, tightly packaged and feature big-car tech. Two battery options will be offered: a lithium iron phosphate pack with a 58kWh capacity and a nickel manganese cobalt pack with 85kWh.
Mercedes says the entire battery-electric powertrain ‘has the potential’ of a range of more than 466 miles (750km). For fast charging and lighter electronics, the battery-electric powertrain uses an 800-volt architecture, allowing for up to 320kW of charging – Merc says that means up to 186 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes.
All electric CLA models will feature an electric drive motor on the rear axle, developing 268bhp. The e-motor on the rear axle features a two-speed gearbox (much like a Porsche Taycan or Audi e-Tron GT) that’s designed to improve motor efficiency at higher speeds. 4Matic all-wheel drive versions will also benefit from a 107bhp e-motor on the front axle.
Super-efficient engineering as well as charging and battery management has meant that a prototype model of the electric CLA has broken an electric record: the most distance travelled by an EV in 24 hours. Mercedes beat a record set by the Porsche Taycan, clocking 3717km in 24 hours; the brand points to the car’s fast charging abilities and long potential range, as well as its low-drag looks.
So… what will it look like then?
That’s the bit we definitely don’t know yet, but we’ve got a pretty solid idea. Our first point in the right direction was the Concept CLA, revealed at the 2023 Munich motor show. Since then, Mercedes has teased prototypes pulling away some of the bulky camouflage at the 39th Festival d’Hyères.
Think of it as a decontented, more streamlined version of the outgoing CLA; the overall silhouetted won’t change much, but some of the design details will. Like other models in the modern Merc range, the new CLA will use the brand’s three-pointed star motif in its lighting.
Details are sparse regarding the interior, but we’ve seen prototype models that include vertical screens and a passenger display inspired by the EQXX concept.
When will the new CLA arrive?
Mercedse says it’ll make its public launch in 2025, marking it as the first car to run on the new Mercedes Modular Architecture.
After that, the brand plans on launching a new-generation CLA Shooting Brake estate, as well as a new GLA and GLB. Like the new CLA, all of these new models will include hybrids and battery-electric options.