Mercedes has yet to make a decision on which model will use the technology from the Vision EQXX concept. Will it be the future Mercedes CLA electric or the future Mercedes C-Class electric?
In May 2022, Mercedes confirmed that the upcoming Mercedes CLA will be the first model to use the new MMA platform designed for electric propulsion but which can also be adapted for conventional propulsion. Then, at the conference where Mercedes announced the organisation of the range into the three categories – Top End Luxury, Core Luxury and Entry Luxury, chief designer Gorden Wagener briefly presented what he called “the entry level luxury car”. It was obvious that the silhouette of the car presented was that of the future Mercedes CLA.
Now, information has emerged that the future Mercedes CLA will also have an electric version that will borrow technology from the Mercedes Vision EQXX concept. Mercedes officials have made it very clear that the Mercedes Vision EQXX concept will not directly turn into a production car but the aerodynamic solutions and battery and powertrain technology will be used in future production models. It remains to be seen whether the new Mercedes CLA will also take design elements from the Vision EQXX concept.
video capture Mercedes conference Economics of Desire May 2022
The electrically and conventionally powered Mercedes CLA would become the first model in the new Entry Luxury category. It would compete with the Tesla Model3, Polestar 2 and BMW i4.
On the other hand, Mercedes has not yet made a decision on what will happen with the future electric Mercedes C-Class. At the moment, Mercedes has the EVA platform for the EQ luxury models – EQE/EQE SUV, EQS/EQS SUV which will transform from 2025 to the MB.EA architecture. In 2024, Mercedes will launch the MMA platform for the compact range. Markus Schafer, head of development at Mercedes said the MMA platform is intended for compact models but has the potential to be used in the mid-size class (C-Class).
For now, as far as we know, a decision has not been made and it’s quite hard to make. The technology of the Mercedes Vision EQXX is extremely advanced especially in terms of active aerodynamics and battery technology. Using this expensive technology on an Entry Luxury model would increase the price a lot. On the other hand, this expensive technology would fit better in a Mercedes C-Class electric which is part of the Core Luxury category and a Mercedes C-Class would be better positioned in the competition against the Tesla Model 3 or BMW i4.
And if Mercedes were to introduce its Vision EQXX technology on an entry level model, it would automatically have to offer it on all higher class models.
