The three-pointed star’s junior sibling of the C-Class will preview the marque’s new MMA platform designed for combustion and electrification propulsion.
Identified last year as one of the key models it will be renewing for another generation, Mercedes-Benz provided a surprise first view of the production second generation CLA this week as part of its sponsorship of the Festival d’Hyères fashion show in France.
Surprisingly not shown at the Paris Motor Show, the CLA will be selectively detailed over the coming months as part of an extensive teaser campaign ahead of its official unveiling early next year.
Shown as the retro-styled CLA Concept at the Munich IAA last year, the CLA retains the couple-style appearance of the current model derived from the now discontinued CLS, but will become the first model to ride on the new electrified Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform.
While originally planned to offer only electric propulsion, Mercedes-Benz’s reversal of its EV-only policy by 2030 will see the CLA feature both electric and combustion powerplants, the latter more than likely with mild-hybrid and/or plug-in hybrid assistance.
As evident by the concept, the platform’s 800-volt electrified hardware will allow for a possible range of 400 km after less than 15 minutes charging, while also supporting bidirectional of vehicle-2-load (V2L) charging.
Reportedly, the claimed range will be as much as 700 km with the added possibility of a more affordable AMG version below the EQE 53 also on the drawing board.
On-sale since 2019 but updated in January last year, the CLA, as per the images, will remain a sloping roof sedan and potentially, the replacement for the A-Class Sedan, although at present, this is nothing but speculative and could well prove otherwise.
Unlikely to spawn another Shooting Brake version though, the pair of images didn’t provide a glimpse of the CLA’s interior, although judging by the concept, it will receive a completely digital full-width dashboard with no less than three displays.
Set to provide the preview of what Benz’s next generation of small models will look like, the CLA could well lead to the introduction of a fifth generation A-Class as the current fourth will reach the end of its lifecycle in 2026 after what will be eight years.
While little continues to be known at present, expect clearer details to emerge over the coming months, included the expected date of reveal.
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