“It is an all-new engine engineered for Euro 7 emission regulations,” said Markus Schäfer, head of R&D at Mercedes-Benz. This petrol unit is thought to retain elements of the M254 powerplant used by a wide range of existing Mercedes-Benz models.
Autocar can confirm it will be offered exclusively in mild-hybrid form with a 48V electric architecture and a gearbox-mounted integrated starter motor providing extra power and torque under acceleration as well as coasting properties.
A plug-in hybrid powertrain will not be available, a source confirmed, adding: “In the future, the customer will be able to choose between pure electric or mild-hybrid petrol depending on the market.” Other developments set to be featured on the new CLA include Mercedes-Benz’s proprietary MB.OS operating system.
Unveiled by Källenius at Mercedes-Benz’s Silicon Valley-based R&D centre, the new chip-to-cloud architecture has been developed to support third-party applications and will provide access to Google Maps and other new functions. Källenius added the new saloon will also receive level two-plus assisted driving functions.
Industry-wide shift to volume means Mercedes won’t ditch the small car
It’s rare that a pricing confirmation should send shockwaves through the industry, but the announcement that the new Mercedes EQE SUV will command upwards of £90,000 felt like a bucket of cold water to the face.
It’s a pretty glaring indicator of the way the industry is going – and not a promising one. But with the emergence of a new ‘Entry Luxury’ family comes a hint of reassurance that the three-pointed star hasn’t totally forgotten about the National League football players in its pursuit of the more lucrative Premier League market.
In keeping with a wider industry shift towards profit over volumes, Mercedes is keen to enhance and promote the luxury appeal of its largest and most opulent offerings but isn’t ready to cut its smaller cars out entirely. We will soon watch the wraps come off another crucial Tesla Model 3 rival – only this one is dauntingly charged with drawing buyers away from Elon Musk’s ever-popular exec while also continuing to embody the aura of accessible opulence that has always made the smallest Mercedes models so successful.