Europe Is Falling In Love With The CLA Baby Benz
With Hybrid engines and full electric versions, Europeans have pumped CLA sales numbers by 127 percent.
The 2025 redesign
With all new lines, the C178 generation CLA is proving to be a hit over in Europe. All new for 2025, the CLA has a blend of hybrid and EV engines, and according to AutoBlog, is carrying the sales figures for Mercedes. Sales year over year for the CLA are up 127 percent. In total 13,138 CLA’s were sold. That includes both body styles, with the sedan taking the highest figures and the shooting brake only contributing a small percentage.
So what makes this CLA a hit? Well, the side profile of the CLA is a familiar sight, but a totally re-designed front and rear bring the CLA into line with the current Mercedes styling language. Under the hood is a mix of engines – Hybrid power and full EV. EV’s currently make up more than half of the CLA sales in Europe. Horsepower for the CLA 350 is 354 horsepower and gives the Baby Benz a zippy sprint to 60 in just 4.9 seconds. Not bad if you ask us.
There’s a handful of other mid-range models that make up the full CLA line. Here in the States, we get the 250 and 350 EV flavors. Technically called the CLA250+ with EQ Technology and the CLA350+ 4MATIC with EQ Technology, both start at under $50,000. In fact, there’s only a $2,000 price difference between you and 100 more horsepower. So you might as well get the 350. We find that kinda odd, because if the 250 had been closer to $40,000, it would be an even bigger hit.
That low price might be a bit intriguing to us, but maybe not for the reasons you’d think. We see that price, and we see the sales pace, and we notice how it flies in the face of a recent decision from MB. Recently, it was announced that the brand would be moving decidedly up-market. Maybach would get special attention, and lower level models would be culled. With the CLA being a sale powerhouse, Mercedes is paying attention. With import tariffs on US-bound cars, they have to take action. So we expect a rather humbled about-face from Mercedes as they embrace “the rest of us” versus the chosen few.
Photos coutresy of Mercedes Benz
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