The Mercedes-Benz CLA has become known for establishing new standards and breaking class barriers, with an innovative design that inspires stirring emotions with an athletic, striking appearance. That’s why Mercedes‑Benz elected to reveal the new 2026 CLA in Rome, the Italian metropolis with a suitably refined stature long famed worldwide for its enduring elegance and historic flair.

Ola Kaellenius, Mercedes-Benz Group AG Chief Executive Officer stated, “The premiere of the new CLA in Rome – a city just as iconic and timeless as Mercedes-Benz – was more than just another car launch. It marks the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz and for our customers: The CLA will be the most efficient and the most intelligent Mercedes we’ve ever made. It’s the one-litre car for the electric age – and at the same time will also be available as a highly efficient hybrid version. It is the first in a series of new models we’re adding to the Mercedes-Benz family.”

“As the inventor of the automobile, we’ve rewritten automotive history time and time again – and now we’re doing it again with the all-new CLA. It translates our vision of the most efficient Mercedes ever made, the VISION EQXX, into series production. And the results speak for themselves: this car is ahead of the competition in every area – range, charging speed, consumption, comfort and intelligence – and underlines our ambition to lead in electric and in-car software. And it is just the first of a whole series of new Mercedes-Benz vehicles – with all-electric or high-tech hybrid drive.“

Intended to draw onlookers by excitingly integrating intelligence and emotion, the new CLA’s long wheelbase form with short overhangs and a powerful GT styled rear express a sense of athletic power. A long bonnet with power domes, low fastback silhouette and large wheels enhance its sporty proportions, along with the muscular shoulders starting from the front wheel arches and extending right into its sculptural rear. In line with Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Sensual Purity’ design language, sculpted surfaces are emphasized while distinctive flank character lines create an interplay of light and shade when viewed laterally.

Approached from the frontal angles, the CLA’s shark-nosed front end is dominantly highlighted by a large new illuminated Mercedes-Benz panel that recalls the classic chrome grille. In addition to the iconic big Three-Pointed Star, this design element also integrates an unmistakable brand signature in the form of 142 chrome-effect stars. Strikingly curved full-LED headlights connected by a light band give the CLA’s ‘eyes’ an emotionally expressive appearance by day while providing optimum road illumination at night. Around the back, star-shaped taillights also connected by a light band imbues the CLA’s GT rear end with a powerful presence, together with the high-gloss black painted, aero optimised rear diffuser that contributes towards an excellent drag coefficient.

Several powertrain options will be available on the new CLA, with Mercedes-Benz still particularly emphasizing the all-electric models. Things start with the CLA 250+ that’s powered by a single 200kW drive unit with up to 792 km of maximum WLTP range. Meanwhile the CLA 350 4MATIC will be the more performance oriented variant, offering a 260 kW output and 4.9 second 0-100 km/h sprint time with maximum WLTP range of 771 km. Both models make use of a rear axle mounted permanently excited synchronous motor (PSM) derived directly from that of the VISION EQXX, featuring hairpin stator windings that make for a quieter drive plus a much lower usage of heavy rare earth elements than previous generation motors.

The CLA’s on-board 800 volt system offers maximum efficiency with significantly reduced charging time, with up to 325 km of range available after 10 minutes of DC charging. A 2-speed transmission enables it to accelerate dynamically without compromising efficiency: the shorter 11:1 first gear delivers brisk acceleration off the line and better efficiency in urban traffic, while the longer 5:1 second gear is optimized for long distance cruising at highway speeds.

By the end of 2025, hybrid CLA models will also be introduced with the 1.5 liter M 252 Miller cycle turbocharged 4-cylinder engines, available in three power levels with a choice of 4MATIC or front-wheel drive transmissions. These will feature turbochargers with a segmented turbine and switchable scroll connection, compact charge-air path and closely mounted exhaust system for maximum response and efficiency. Their electric motors will be tightly integrated with the eight-speed dual-clutch transmissions (8F-eDCT) for optimum compactness, strongly improving low speed response acceleration and recuperating up to 25 KW of energy across all 8 gears when coasting on electric power alone at urban speeds up to 100 km/h.

Moving inside, the new CLA will introduce a fresh interior architecture design concept more focused on the essential elements while minimizing underlying structures for a more spacious luxury experience. A large panoramic roof with heat protection coating will come as standard on all models, and play a role in visually opening up the cabin by allowing in as much natural light as possible, extending seamlessly from the windscreen frame to the rear. The floating MBUX Superscreen spreading across the dashboard’s full width will be another highlight of note, consisting of the 10.25-inch driver display, 14-inch central infotainment display and optional 14-inch front passenger display.

All infotainment functions are integrated into the new fourth generation MBUX system, integrating AI agents from both Google and Microsoft as a car industry first. Powered by generative artificial intelligence, the new MBUX virtual assistant will actively evolve over time to become a more helpful assistant to the driver by learning from natural conversations and retaining contextual information. Google Gemini will also enable more informative and personalized navigation capabilities by deeply harnessing information from Google Maps. Further individual country launches of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA will follow in the coming months, with more details on features and pricing tailored to each individual market’s needs.