When Mercedes-Benz launches its next-generation CLA family next year it will feature, as expected, an all-electric drivetrain. But, reflecting the realities of the global market, it will also be offered with a choice of hybrid powertrains, as well. And it will move away from the controversial “one-bow” styling of earlier battery-electric models like the EQS and EQE.
Even as its sales start to slide, Tesla is coming under increasing fire from competitors who hope to chip away at its market share which still dominates the EV market. And Mercedes-Benz is taking aim at Tesla’s best-seller with an all-new, battery-powered version of its compact CLA model set to debut next year.
With the EV market taking longer to charge up than many have expected, Mercedes-Benz is putting money back into the development of internal combustion technology, as well as hybrids, CEO Ola Kallenius said. But the automaker isn’t scrapping plans for a new EV architecture, despite recent reports, the executive said.