Mercedes-Benz bets on efficiency with its new CLA electric saloon

Mercedes-Benz seems to have been clear for some time now that what makes an electric saloon great is nothing other than its efficiency. The Vision EQXX prototype was designed to exceed 1,000 km on a single charge, which makes it one of the electric vehicles with the greatest range on the road.

This achievement has been possible not by taking the easy route, which would have been fitting a battery pack of enormous capacity that would have sent the vehicle’s weight soaring, but by following a much more complex path: reducing its weight down to the smallest detail and improving its aerodynamics to boost efficiency. Only in this way has it been possible to bring this prototype’s energy consumption below 10 kWh per 100 km.

Drawing on everything learned from that project, the German manufacturer is preparing to launch in the near future a new generation of electric models that will stand out precisely for their efficiency. The first of them will be a new electric saloon in the CLA class.

This is what we know about the upcoming new CLA saloon

Although the final design of the vehicle has not yet been officially revealed, the brand has shared some promising details about its efficiency. According to the manufacturer, this new CLA will likely be the most efficient series-production electric vehicle on the market, with energy consumption below 12 kWh per 100 km travelled.

This achievement is especially significant given that the electric CLA will not use a platform exclusive to this type of vehicle, but will instead use Mercedes-Benz’s new modular platform, called MMA, which can be adapted for both electric and hybrid vehicles. A decision that usually involves some compromises, but in this case Mercedes-Benz seems to have achieved an exceptional balance.

This new MMA platform also includes, among other notable advances, an 800-volt electrical architecture, which will significantly reduce charging times. According to the German manufacturer, at an ultra-fast DC charging point it will be possible to add 300 kilometres of extra range in just 10 minutes.

The electric CLA will come equipped with a rear-mounted motor of around 200 kW, and the AWD 4MATIC models will add another on the front axle rated at 80 kW. These motors have also been developed in-house by Mercedes-Benz rather than by a third party, so they will only be available in the brand’s models.

Hybrid versions also on the way

The fact that, as mentioned, the new MMA platform can also be used for hybrid models will allow Mercedes-Benz to also market hybrid-powered versions of the CLA. These hybrid models will integrate the new Mercedes-Benz FAME ICE engines with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that includes an integrated electric motor. This 48-volt hybrid system allows fully electric driving under specific conditions thanks to a 1.3 kWh battery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ARBtZa2-gI

If everything goes according to plan, the new CLA saloon will reach the market in 2026, although we do not yet know whether both the electric and hybrid versions will be commercialised initially, or whether there will be some delay in the launch of one relative to the other. Subsequently, the German manufacturer is also expected to put on sale a couple of SUVs based on this same platform.