New Mercedes-Benz CLA EV Breaks Cover, Featuring Concept-Like Design; Check Pics

Mercedes-Benz has updated the CLA with a fresh design inspired by the brand's earlier concept version. However, the changes are not limited to appearance. The brand has made significant changes under the skin compared to its predecessor. Furthermore, this is the first time the C-Class has been introduced as a pure electric vehicle. The alternate powertrain comes with a relatively affordable variant in the form of a mild-hybrid system setup and a turbocharged petrol engine.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA: Design

Starting with the design, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA comes with a familiar sloping roof complementing the bigger appearance of the four-door coupe. The car now gets a bigger size compared to its predecessor to accommodate the new battery pack. As a result, the car now has a wheelbase of 2,790 mm, a length of 4,723 mm, a width of 1,855 mm, and a height of 1,468 mm. With all of this, the car now gets rear quarter windows.

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The front fascia is reminiscent of the Concept revealed by the brand earlier. It consists of a grille area that features a bunch of lights completing the front leaning face. It also gets multi-beam LED headlights housing a three-pointed-star shape DRLs. These lights are connected by a light bar across the width of the vehicle. A similar design has been used for the taillights, which are connected by 40 illuminated louvers.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA: Interior

On the inside, the car has three screens covering the dashboard. This consists of a 10.3-inch instrument cluster, a 14.0-inch center touchscreen, and a screen for the passenger. It continues to have a touch-slider for volume and a touch-swipe button on the steering wheel. It also gets a new version of MBUX, which enables Google Maps navigation and search using Gemini AI. Another highlight is the presence of a mood ring, which is claimed to recognize the driver's emotional state.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA: Range, Powertrain

The hybrid powertrain of the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA consists of an 800-volt architecture that has been used for the first time in the brand's car. This allows charging speeds of up to 320 kW for an 85 kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack. The power from the battery is used by a 268 hp rear motor in the CLA250+ variant, which offers a range of up to 792 km on a single charge. There is another option of a CLA 350 4MATIC which gets an all-wheel-drive system with 349 hp of power and 771 km range.A petrol-hybrid version will be available later this year. It will feature a 1.5-litre (M 252) petrol engine paired with a 48-volt lithium-ion battery that has a capacity of up to 1.3 kWh. The electric motor, along with the inverter, is integrated into a newly designed compact eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. A notable characteristic of the electric motor is its capability to recuperate energy in all eight gears.