The new CLA generation, initially launched as a battery-electric model and set to be introduced as a hybrid later, was unveiled just over a year ago. At the time, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer described the first model built on the MMA (Mercedes Modular Architecture) platform as the starting point for the largest model offensive in the company’s history. 40 new or revised models are now set to launch by 2027 – including several electric vehicles.
However, following the less successful EQ series – which featured distinctly designed EVs – Mercedes has reversed this strategy under CEO Ola Källenius. The latest electric models – even those built on dedicated electric platforms—now closely resemble their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts in design. This shift is also reflected in the naming convention, as future electric models will bear familiar names such as CLA and GLC, albeit with the addition of ‘EQ technology’.
9,600 electric CLA models in Germany
This strategy appears to be paying off in Europe, as analyses by Dataforce for Handelsblatt reveal. Since the first deliveries in August 2025, around 25,500 battery-electric CLA models have been registered. “With a total of over 9,600 registrations, Germany leads the way. The UK follows with 3,700 registrations, while Belgium has just under 2,400,” the German report states. Approximately 30 per cent of the vehicles were sold to private customers, 50% to business customers, and the remaining 20 per cent were dealer self-registrations. For a new model and a company like Mercedes-Benz, which has many company car drivers, this is not an unusually high figure.
After the first 897 new registrations in Europe in August, there was significant growth in September and October, with 3,512 and 3,574 new registrations, respectively. CLA sales in Europe continued to rise steadily towards the end of the year, reaching around 4,750 units in December. While new registrations traditionally dip at the start of the year, January (3,871) and February (3,775) still slightly exceeded the levels seen in September and October.
Accordingly, Stuttgart is satisfied with the CLA’s launch in Europe: “The new all-electric CLA has significantly exceeded our expectations even in February,” Sales Director Mathias Geisen told Handelsblatt. “Our order books extend well into the second half of 2026.”
However, the outlook is somewhat clouded by the situation in China: The long-wheelbase version of the electric CLA produced there is not selling as well as its European counterpart from the Rastatt plant. Provider Marklines has registered only around 1,600 units since deliveries began in China, though the CLA was only launched there in October, and February’s data is also missing. However, sales in China have not even reached the level of August 2025 in Europe (897 units) in any month, with a maximum of 682 new CLA models registered in December. Nevertheless, there is a silver lining: the electric CLA outsold all other Mercedes EQ models in January. The catch: only 220 vehicles were sold. Additionally, the cancellation of subsidies in China has generally weighed on the electric vehicle market in January.
handelsblatt.com (link in German)
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