New Mercedes-Benz CLA to retain petrol alongside electric power

The upcoming third-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan is planned to offer the choice of electric and mild-hybrid petrol power when it goes on sale in 2025, according to Drive sources inside the Stuttgart car maker.

Due to be previewed as a concept at the Munich motor show this September, the CLA sedan will be one of four remaining Mercedes-Benz small cars left on sale after 2026 – with a focus on electric power, but the option of a petrol engine in some countries.

As previously reported, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to reduce the number of compact cars and SUVs it sells from the seven it offers today, to just four by the end of 2026.

The move is slated to see the popular A-Class hatch and sedan, and B-Class hatch axed at the end of their current model cycles – leaving the CLA sedan, CLA Shooting Brake wagon, and GLA/EQA and GLB/EQB small SUVs to carry on with new generations.

All of these models are set to be produced at Mercedes-Benz’s factories in Rastatt, Germany, and Kecskemet, Hungary with a focus on battery-powered versions – though petrol variants are slated to remain available in some countries.

A proposed fifth compact model in the form of a small G-Class-inspired off-roader is also being discussed internally at Mercedes-Benz, according to Drive sources.

However, there is “no decision yet on whether it will form part of the new line-up”, they say.

Detailing Mercedes-Benz’s small-car plans, CEO Ola Kallenius said: “We will focus on the models that we believe are the most successful on a worldwide basis”.

With China and North America ranking as Mercedes-Benz’s largest markets by sales volume, the decision has been made to focus on sedan and SUV models.

That is despite the A-Class outselling both CLA body styles in Europe – and approaching the combined sales of the GLA and GLB. The A-Class is among Mercedes-Benz's top sellers in Australia.

Underpinning Mercedes-Benz’s future compact car line-up is the new Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform, as previewed by the wind-cheating Vision EQXX concept car revealed in 2022.

Unlike the MB-EA platform bound for future large Mercedes-Benz cars – which is reserved for electric vehicles, including future battery-powered versions of the C-Class and GLC – the MMA platform is being engineered to support electric and petrol-powered models.

“It is electric first. But that doesn’t mean it is electric only,” Mr Kallenius said in reference to the new architecture.

Details remain scarce more than 18 months ahead of the new CLA sedan's planned unveiling, though Drive has been told it will initially be sold in electric form from early 2025.

A new mild-hybrid petrol engine is set to be made available in selected markets around six months later – in late 2025 – based on current planning.

Although not confirmed, Australia is likely to be one of these markets – as the uptake of electric cars and prevalence of recharging stations trail regions such as Europe.

In electric form, cars on the MMA platform can offer an 800-volt electric architecture with charging at up to 350kW, allowing a 10 to 80 per cent battery charge in 30 minutes on a compatible high-powered DC socket, says Mercedes-Benz. 

The new platform has been conceived around a new lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

It is set to be based around a cell-to-pack (CTP) production principle – a cost and weight-saving approach also used by Tesla – claimed to offer vastly improved efficiency over the lithium-ion batteries used by Mercedes-Benz today. 

Mercedes-Benz also plans to introduce a new silicon-anode battery developed in partnership with US company Sila in a long-range version of the new CLA sedan.

Nothing is official at this stage, but insiders claim early testing has yielded average energy consumption under 12kWh/100km – among the best on the current electric-car market.

With a battery of a similar 82kWh capacity to that of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range, the new Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan could be capable of driving range of close to 700km. However, the exact battery capacity of the upcoming sedan remains under wraps.

Both single-motor front-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive models of the new electric CLA sedan and its Mercedes-Benz compact car siblings are envisaged, according to insiders.

The electric motors are of permanent-magnet synchronous designs, and are reportedly combined with two-speed gearboxes similar to the Porsche Taycan sedan.

The petrol engine set to be offered by Mercedes-Benz in the new CLA sedan has been engineered and developed in partnership with Chinese car giant Geely, and its Swedish subsidiary Volvo.

Information obtained by Drive indicates it will be offered exclusively with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, including a gearbox-mounted integrated starter motor (ISG) providing additional power and torque under acceleration, as well as the ability to coast with the engine off under low accelerator load.

“A plug-in hybrid application is not planned for the new compact car line-up,” a source told Drive, adding, “In the future, the customer will be able to choose between electric or mild-hybrid petrol depending on the market.”

The availability of a petrol engine for the next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan indicates AMG versions of the new model are also on the cards, though this is yet to be confirmed by Mercedes-Benz's performance car division.

Other developments set to be featured on the new CLA include Mercedes-Benz’s proprietary MB.OS infotainment system, as well as 'Level 2 Plus' semi-autonomous driving technology.

The styling of the third-generation CLA progresses the design of today’s second-generation model. Key elements include a new-look grille set low in the front bumper along with angular headlamps connected by a light band.

The rear is expected to mirror the look up front with LED tail lamps joined by a light band across the rear of the boot lid.

A longer wheelbase than that of today’s CLA is also claimed to provide improved access to both the front and rear, according to insiders.

As part of recent moves to simplify the naming of Mercedes-Benz’s models, the new CLA is expected to retain its traditional name in both electric and petrol forms, rather than adopt the EQ sub-branding given to electric models today.