Initially, Mercedes-Benz will offer the 268-horsepower CLA 250+ with rear-wheel drive and the performance-oriented 349-horsepower CLA 350 4MATIC with all-wheel drive. That’s far more potent than the 221-horsepower four-cylinder mild hybrid driveline offered for 2025.

Mercedes is also bucking the traditional method of introducing a new platform as an ICE vehicle and then wedging the design into an EV platform. Instead, the company is going “EV first,” launching the CLA as an EV first and then later as an internal combustion with a mild hybrid in 2026.

Mercedes-Benz did something a little unusual with the CLA, and now it has something in common with the Porsche Taycan.

Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan will come as both an EV and a hybrid, and feature over-the-air updates and AI-based infotainment.

The electric subcompact sedan is capable of going 492 miles on a charge — at least, according to the test used in Europe.

Mercedes-Benz CLA may be an entry-level model, but it's leading the way with new tech and EV hardware improvements.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox