Mercedes could position CLA crossover against Model Y

As Automotive News writes, citing experts from AutoForecast Solutions, production of the internally named X174 model is set to start in October 2025 at the Rastatt plant, where the CLA is also manufactured. The model would then be delivered from the first half of 2026, including to the USA. The report explicitly refers to a ‘Tesla Model Y fighter’ – this is not our wording.

At the IAA Mobility in September 2023, Mercedes gave a preview of the upcoming CLA and the underlying Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform with the Concept CLA Class study. The MMA is a newly developed platform for smaller Mercedes models. The development was based on the ‘Electric First’ principle: The MMA was designed and optimised for electric drives but can also accommodate combustion engines.

At its core is an entirely new drivetrain optimised for efficiency: the study should achieve a consumption of just 12 kWh/100 km and offer a WLTP range of more than 750 kilometres. The 800-volt battery system can be optionally equipped with two different cell chemistries. The top version has anodes with silicon oxide content for a particularly high energy density – a charging capacity of 250 kW has been announced. The entry-level version uses cells with LFP chemistry. According to later reports from autumn 2023, CATL could become the supplier for the LFP cells. The MMA is also expected to support bidirectional charging – specifically vehicle-to-home (V2H) or vehicle-to-grid (V2G).

It has already been confirmed that Mercedes will build electric cars based on the MMA in three factories: in Rastatt, Germany, in Kecskemet, Hungary, and in Beijing, China. According to AutoForecast Solutions, the crossover will roll off the production line together with the CLA in Rastatt, where an electric crossover, the EQA, is already being built.

Sam Fiorani, Vice President of AutoForcast Solutions, is quoted in the report as saying that the EQB, which was unveiled in 2022, will not be directly replaced once production ends late in 2025. As Mercedes has already abandoned the ‘EQ’ nomenclature with the electric G-Class, it is also unlikely that the new model will be launched as the EQB. The model could go on sale as the CLA SUV. A Mercedes spokesperson declined to comment on the product plans to Automotive News.

As a Model Y competitor, Mercedes would place the model series in a particularly popular but also highly competitive segment. There has yet to be any speculation on the model’s prices, dimensions or performance data; the Model Y is 4.75 metres long, for example, but is also compared with some SUVs, which are somewhat shorter. Due to the layout, the Model Y even offers a similar amount of space, or in some cases even slightly more space, than the current Mercedes EQE SUV, although the latter is longer at 4.90 metres.

Adding a crossover to the CLA model range could make economic sense: The model has so far brought many young and, above all, new customers to the brand, and an SUV could significantly expand the target group.

autonews.com (paywall)