The Concept CLA-Class EV is a new design mainly powered by electricity and is about the same length as the current CLA sedan. Its 800-volt design, two-speed transmission, and engine in the Back should make it more efficient than other EVs, giving it a range of 400 miles. Many of the Vision EQXX design ideas were used, like the MBUX Superscreen that goes all the way around the cabin. Today in Munich, Mercedes-Benz showed off the Concept CLA-Class electric car. The product’s new name and the fact that it is “close to production” hints that the features shown here will be part of the CLA’s planned significant redesign. Representatives say that production of the new electric luxury car will start in late 2024. This means the Mercedes-Benz CLA will be available in the United States in 2025. After that, there will be three more spinoffs: a car we won’t see and two SUVs that could replace the GLA and GLB. The concept is a “clean sheet,” “electric first” design that uses the new Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), which was made to handle entry-level EVs. It has many features of a concept car, but it looks just like a CLA-class from the next model. Its length is about 185 inches, close to the current CLA 184.6 inches (no exact measurements were given, but the designer admitted it). The concept rides on big six-spoke wheels that are 21 inches in diameter and have front 255/35R-21 and back 285/30R-21 tires. Some of the best parts of the design are the shark’s mouth, which is beautifully carved and has a sharp undercut, and the smooth flanks, which look like the sides of a Coke bottle. It also has an extremely long hood for an EV because it can be paired with an ICE engine. Details about power Mercedes hasn’t said if the ICE cars will have front-wheel drive like the current CLA or rear-wheel drive like the EV concept, but the EV will be available with a single-motor rear-wheel drive or a dual-motor all-wheel drive. The Concept CLA Class on display uses MB.EDU (Mercedes-Benz Electric Drive Unit) technology from the Vision EQXX concept. This uses “close to zero percent” rare-earth elements to power a single rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor with 235 horsepower. Instead of the standard direct-drive system, a two-speed transmission is used. This makes the car more efficient at a more comprehensive range of speeds. The motor and battery work with 800 volts is also a big step toward economy. The design also includes a high-tech heat pump that works like a house heat pump even in the winter by taking heat from the outside air and moving it from the engine to the cabin. The range is pretty good The few performance specs known to the public show the benefit: a predicted range of 750 km and shallow energy use of 12 kWh per 100 km on Europe’s WLTP test cycle. Using more traditional EPA standards, our translation ranges about 400 miles and an MPGe of 150. Also, the 800-volt design allows DC fast-charging at 250 kW, which could add up to 200 miles (in American terms) to the range in just 15 minutes. Mercedes hasn’t said how big the battery is, but based on the math used to get the numbers above, it’s likely to have a usable capacity of 90,0 kWh. The tracks are the same size as the car, which is more expansive, has a longer wheelbase, and has lower overhangs than the current CLA, but is still tiny compared to, say a Lucid Air. There are two different ways to make lithium-ion batteries. Silicon-oxide anodes in the more expensive model improve the energy density and give the idea a more extended range. Lithium-iron phosphate will be used in the base model. This is a cheaper material, but it is expected to provide the battery with a lower kWh value and a shorter range. Still, 400 miles should be an exciting number at the top. This big of a Superscreen An MBUX that is like an EQXX The Superscreen takes up most of the room in the cabin because it acts as the dashboard. The panel goes to the passenger side, where your passenger can watch movies, control the music system, send mapping routes to the driver, and do other things (US features are still unknown). The sub-screens for instruments and entertainment stay where they are. Mercedes’ MB runs it. OS chip-to-cloud design, which the company says will link all of the car’s electrical functions into a single user interface and experience. We needed to figure out the gadget because it only worked in demo mode and had few physical controls, which made it impossible to test. On the other hand, the MB.OS chip can’t be ignored because it’s in a bright, water-cooled box under the Superscreen that looks like a flux capacitor from Back to the Future. That is unlikely. The proposal’s starry-night roof is covered with hundreds of three-pointed stars, and other internal parts will likely need to be built. The top has no tint, and the cross member behind the windshield stem is missing. We’ve never seen so much silver-colored leather on the floor (and firewall, too! ), and the four-seat bucket seats made of a single piece of leather are just as excellent. But it’s easy to look past all that and imagine a more production-ready design with a tinted glass roof held up by an extra crossmember and seats and decor that look more like a regular car. Also, it would be good to have more actual switchgear. This could be why we like the two big climate buttons sticking out from each end of the Superscreen. You can change the temperature by turning them; their centers have a built-in temperature reading. The air doesn’t get out through them, though. Instead, it gets through holes in a second dashboard behind the floating screen. Inside are vents with slots that look like the lamella structures on the bottoms of mushrooms. The speaker grilles, the lining of the cupholders, the details on the horn buttons, and the non-slip basement floor under the floating desk are all made with ribbed designs that look like lamella. Are you ready for Automation Level 3? The tiny cross-shaped bubble on top of the roof, right above the windshield, is another unique design feature likely to be in the final car. Mercedes says that the sensors in this round bump will someday make it possible for Level 3 automated driving. One official said this feature won’t be available at launch, but the next CLA is expected to be “Level 3-ready” because of the sensors and the control software based on MB.OS can be updated over the air. In the coming months, we’ll learn more about the real CLA production car, but even without the most outlandish looks, the CLA concept has great mechanics that allow it to have excellent fuel economy, range, and charging. What do you stand to lose by getting the essential battery? How much more power does the all-wheel-drive version have? But what about the ones that run on gas? The price is very essential. This information won’t be available for a few months, but the CLA class is the least expensive Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz is adding more high-profile areas for its electric cars.
