International Media Confirms Our Assumption: the Mercedes A-Class Will Disappear

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The German business newspaper Handlesblatt claims that it found out from internal sources that Mercedes will offer, in the future, only 4 models in the compact range: the GLA, GLB, CLA and CLA Shooting Brake. The Mercedes A-Class will have no successor.

Mercedesblog.com announced on May 24 that Mercedes will give up not only the B-Class, but also the A-Class, according to unofficial and then unconfirmed information that we received.

The German business newspaper Handelsblatt comes to confirm our information, this time citing internal sources within Mercedes. But so far, there is no official communication from Mercedes on this subject.

Now it is officially known and mercedesblog.com first announced that the first model of the third generation of compact models will be the new Mercedes CLA. It will be launched in 2024 and will sit on the new MMA platform, developed with priority for electric propulsion, which also supports conventional propulsion and PHEV. The MMA will replace the current MFA II platform.

As chief designer Gordon Wagener announced at the new strategy presentation conference, the future Mercedes CLA will borrow design elements from the Mercedes EQXX concept, which recently broke two range records for electric cars.

The conventional compact range is reduced from 7 models (Mercedes A-Class hatch, A sedan, B, CLA, CLA Shooting brake, GLA, GLB) to only 4 (GLA, GLB, CLA and CLA Shooting brake). But we have to take also into account the electric models.

The future compact range will include the current EQA and EQB electric models, plus a new-entry one, named SUL (Sport Utility sedan). The latter will actually be a sedan SUV, in the style of the third generation Seat Toledo from 2004-2009.

The compact range is part of the new category of Entry Luxury models. According to the new strategy presented on May 19, 2022, the Mercedes models will be divided, in the future, into three categories: Entry Luxury, Modern Luxury and Top Luxury. The new strategy favors luxury models over volume ones, as is the case of the A-Class.

Mercedes wants to launch 20 pure electric models by 2030 and for this purpose, it needs both funds and the release of production capacities.