It's been a year since Mercedes showed us the Concept CLA Class as a window into the future of its most affordable sedan. That future is right around the corner since the compact luxury model is almost ready for prime time. No longer a concept car, the cheapest Benz sedan has evolved into a production model with artsy camo to conceal the final design.
Mercedes previewed the third-generation CLA last weekend during the 39th Festival d'Hyères held at the Villa Noailles in southeastern France. You won't find the CLA listed under sedans on the company's website in the United States. That's because it's a "coupe," and we have a feeling that won't change with the next-gen model. The swoopy roofline is staying, lending the CLA a mini CLS vibe. Its bigger brother is no longer part of the portfolio since the German luxury brand pulled the plug last year.
A closer look at the prototype reveals fuel caps on the rear fenders. We could be dealing with a plug-in hybrid, unless the fully electric CLA is going to have charge ports on both sides of the car for extra convenience. We do know the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) underpinning the new entry-level Benz will support combustion engines and fully electric powertrains.
Given how Mercedes plastered camouflage all over the front end, we're tempted to believe this is an EV. The absence of a visible exhaust tip also suggests this CLA doesn't have a gas engine. The styling appears to be evolutionary and in keeping with the Concept CLA Class we saw in September 2023 at the IAA show in Munich.
Technical specifications are not available, but the slippery concept promised 466 miles (750 kilometers) of electric range in the WLTP cycle. The "four-door coupe" featured tech from the Vision EQXX concept and had an all-screen dashboard. There were two water-cooled battery packs touted, one with a cheaper lithium-ion phosphate chemistry and the other with silicon-oxide anodes for better energy density. Thanks to the 800-volt electrical architecture, the concept needed 15 minutes of charge for 248 miles (400 kilometers) of range.
The CLA is unlikely to be joined by another A-Class Sedan since Mercedes intends to streamline its compact car offerings. There will be another wagon, likely called CLA Shooting Brake again. It was teased last year at the Concept CLA's debut alongside two crossovers, presumably the new GLA and GLB. It's unclear whether there will be successors to the A-Class hatchback and the B-Class minivan, but we wouldn't count on it. Instead, a "Little G" is planned as a baby G-Class.
The CLA will likely be offered for the 2026 model year in the United States where the outgoing model has already entered the 2025MY. When it does arrive, it'll go up against the recently updated Audi A3 Sedan and the next-gen BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, which is set to premiere soon.