Mercedes-Benz A-Class to live until 2026 – report

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class has reportedly been given a stay of execution until 2026 – amid its continued popularity in Europe – as the German car giant winds back its electric-car plans.

As previously reported by Drive, the A-Class hatch and sedan will not continue into a new generation as Mercedes-Benz trims its small-car line-up from seven models to four, with higher prices and profit margins.

UK publication Autocar claims plans for A-Class production to end as soon as this year have been "cancelled", and it will now continue to be built "well into 2026".

It means it will be produced alongside Mercedes-Benz's next-generation small cars – which will comprise the CLA sedan, CLA Shooting Brake wagon, and GLA and GLB SUVs – the first of which is due this year.

All four new models will be underpinned by a electric-focused platform known as MMA, and will offer the choice of petrol, hybrid and electric power.

The A-Class hatch and sedan are being axed even though reports say they have outsold the GLA and GLB petrol and diesel SUVs combined in Europe in 2022 – at 90,700 sales to 82,900 – as well as the circa-50,000 European sales of the CLA range.

However outside of Europe, the A-Class is not as popular, having already been axed in the US, and in Australia the GLA and GLB combined outsell it by 50 per cent, excluding the SUVs' EQA and EQB electric variants.

The move to extend the life of the current A-Class comes as Mercedes-Benz scales back its electric-car plans, and delays aggressive targets to end sales of petrol and diesel cars, amid a stall in sales of electric vehicles.

A goal for 50 per cent of its sales to be hybrid or electric by 2025 has been pushed to "the second half of the decade", and a plan to go electric-only "where market conditions allow" by 2030 has been scrapped.

"I don’t think anyone had ever thought that the once-in-a-century transformation of the auto industry will be a straight line. There will be peaks and troughs," claimed Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius, as quoted by Autocar.

However nearly three years ago – when Mercedes-Benz announced the 2030 target in July 2021 – Mr Källenius implied sales of electric cars would only grow.

"The [electric vehicle] shift is picking up speed – especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz belongs. The tipping point is getting closer and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade," he said.

The Rastatt, Germany factory which produces the A-Class hatch has reportedly been altered to produce the vehicle alongside the new-generation small-car range.

Autocar reports the first prototype for the next-generation CLA sedan was produced in September 2023, ahead of its launch due later this year.

Petrol variants of the new model are reportedly planned to use a familiar 1.3-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, now set to be built by Geely in China – for use in future Volvo, Geely and Lynk and Co models, as well as Mercedes-Benz cars.

Meanwhile electric versions are due to offer more than 750km of claimed WLTP driving range, frugal 12kWh/100km energy consumption, power outputs from 150kW to more than 400kW, and fast charging at up to 300kW (with a "boost" function) to add 400km of range in a 15-minute charge.

Single- or dual-motor layouts are planned, including an AMG high-performance version (prototype pictured) making use of the upper power output above – well exceeding the 310kW of today's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol CLA45 S.