New Mercedes A-Class to get massive transformation as it targets the Audi A3 e-tron

A massive transformation is in store for the Mercedes A-Class, with a new generation set to gain all-electric power. There had been questions over the future of the company’s smallest model, because it was due to bow out in 2025 with no successor planned. But fresh EV tech will ensure the hatchback can live on into the next decade – and our exclusive image shows what to expect.

Even though the current A-Class has been around since 2018, the new model isn’t expected to arrive until 2029. That’s after the current model goes off sale in 2028, having seen its lifespan extended through a switch in production to the Kecskemet plant in Hungary, allowing the Rastatt factory in Germany to build the new Mercedes CLA.

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Robert Lesnik, Exterior Design Director at Mercedes, said: “The current A-Class is going to the Hungary plant next year. The plant can cater to the next generation of A-Class.” He also said there wouldn’t need to be a significant revision to the line in Hungary to meet the demands of the new MMA platform.

Using the latest CLA as an example, Lesnik explained: “With CLA we had an EV then hybrid, but A-Class is three years away. The MMA platform is flexible, which is great because in the future we’ll have to change our minds faster than we do now.”

The MMA platform lets Mercedes fit the next A-Class with not only the same electric powertrain as the CLA, but the CLA’s hybrid unit, too. This latter system has been developed to suit the stricter Euro 7 emissions rules due to come into force in 2027.

Mercedes planned which compact cars would use MMA back in 2023, but Lesnik said that while the original plan was for four models to do so – the CLA and CLA Shooting Brake, plus the GLA and GLB SUVs – the electric A-Class “would be the fifth”. This would give Mercedes a rival to the likes of the upcoming Audi A3 e-tron.

While the Audi is set for a cab-forward design reminiscent of the old A2, the next A-Class won’t revert to the upright shape of the original from the late nineties. “The next A-Class should have a more stylish cab-back body rather than cab-forward”, said Lesnik. As a result the electric A-Class won’t take on the streamlined and rather controversial shape of the EQE and EQS electric saloons, instead sharing the CLA’s longer bonnet and more traditional profile.

As our illustration shows, the electric A-Class should retain a hatchback profile to keep it distinct from the CLA. Just as with the current A-Class and old CLA, which used the same platform, elements such as the lights, grille and bumpers will be tweaked to give the hatchback its own look.

The shape will have a bearing on the A-Class’ drag coefficient, and as a result, its range could be affected. Bbut we expect similar figures to the CLA – which can currently reach up to 483 miles on a single charge.

We also expect a similar line-up of powertrain options to the CLA, with a long-range single-motor set-up supplemented by a more powerful dual-motor set-up and possibly a hot Mercedes-AMG variant like the electric AMG CLA we’ve already spotted undergoing testing.

The A-Class name is likely to continue with the electric version too. Mercedes has backtracked from the ‘EQ’ system that gave us the EQE and EQS, instead using names such as the Electric CLA and Electric GLC.

Pricing is still a long way from being confirmed, but we expect that the A-Class will retain its position as the entry point to the Mercedes range, undercutting the electric CLA, which currently starts from £45,615.

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