Mercedes Benz has unveiled the CLA Concept at the ongoing IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich, Germany. The concept electric sedan previews the German marque’s future range of EVs slated to debut in the coming years. Based on the new Modular Architecture (MMA), the concept EV uses a powertrain derived from the Vision EQXX unveiled last year.
The new concept is touted to be an all-electric successor to the CLA sedan and will most likely be the new battery-powered model in the brand’s lineup. It also showcases a brand new exterior and interior design philosophy which will be common to all future EV from Mercedes.
Mercedes Benz CLA: Exterior design
As with most concept vehicles, the CLA looks futuristic from every angle. It gets a low-slung stance with a new front fascia featuring a sealed-off nose highlighted by an illuminated Mercedes star logo at the centre. Numerous small illuminated stars further create a unique appearance for the all-electric CLA.
The three-pointed star makes its presence in the semi-circular headlamp clusters on either side as well headlined by a thin LED element across the width of the bonnet and further extending to the front fenders and doors. The side profile wears a clean look with a sharp parabolic roofline featuring a sleek glasshouse and frameless doors. Moreover, the entire roof is made of a fixed glass ceiling.
The rear end is adorned with a coupé-like roofline in combination with a heavily angled rear screen– bearing a strong resemblance to the ICE-powered CLA. A similar LED treatment with semi-circular headlamp, three-pointed stars and a thin light bar is seen at the rear end too.
Mercedes Benz CLA: Interior design
Inside the cabin, the CLA concept stays true to Sensual Purity design language and borrows the interior layout of the Vision EQXX prototype featuring a full-width MBUX Superscreen along the dashboard. The screen is embedded with the latest generation of MB.OS operating system. This new OS will make its debut in all future Mercs starting with the CLA.
A significant change is the absence of the turbine-style air vents which are now virtually seen on the Superscreen. The seat upholstery is done in recycled Nappa leather in shades of silver and crystal white, with a contrast provided by illuminated blue and violet accents of ambient lighting.
Mercedes Benz CLA: Autonomous driving tech
With the new all-electric CLA, Mercedes will also take a massive leap in autonomous driving technology which features Level 3 Lidar-based ADAS. However, the production model will initially be equipped with Level 2 autonomous tech which will be upgraded to Level 3 capabilities at a later stage.
Further, the CLA Concept offers a new Child Presence Detection (CPD) system, designed to avoid chances of a child being left in the car.
Mercedes Benz CLA: Powertrains
The CLA borrows the powertrain from the Vision EQXX concept that offers a claimed range of 750 km on a single charge with energy consumption rated at 12kWh per 100 kilometres. Mercedes commonly refers to the CLA as the ‘one-litre car for the electric age’, a hypothesis used for cars that use less than 1 litre of fuel to travel 100km.
Based on an 800V architecture, it supports up to 250kW DC fast charging that can add as much as 400km on the tank with just 15 minutes of charging. Mercedes hasn’t revealed the exact battery specs but we expect it to offer a capacity of around 100kWh. Further there are two battery chemistries on offer– a lithium-iron phosphate unit for the entry-level variants, and an anode design with silicon-oxide content.
The battery will supply energy to a PSM electric motor paired with a 2-speed transmission that could generate 231 bhp. Power is sent to the rear wheels, however, due to the modular nature of the architecture, the powertrain is also suited for all-wheel drive applications.