MUNICH — Whereas Mercedes-Benz has targeted on electrifying its flagship automobiles and SUVs, the German luxurious marque is now turning its gunsights on the opposite finish of the product portfolio.
On Sunday on the Munich auto present, Mercedes revealed the Idea CLA Class, a four-door coupe that previews a brand new “electric-first” platform, underpinning future compact and midsize electrical autos.
The idea encompasses a drivetrain derived from the Imaginative and prescient EQXX idea, which Mercedes stated can drive from New York to Cincinnati on a single cost and is as aerodynamic as a soccer.
Mercedes and German rival BMW are getting ready software-driven automobile architectures for a brand new next-generation of EVs to claw again market share from a surging Tesla.
The Austin, Texas, EV juggernaut has negatively impacted Mercedes gross sales, with the German model’s lower-priced fashions taking the brunt of these losses.
“With Tesla dominating the electrical automobile market and the Mannequin 3 taking a big chunk of that quantity, Mercedes-Benz must assault this market straight,” AutoForecast Options Vice President Sam Fiorani stated. “Bringing an electrical CLA into the market offers Mercedes-Benz, a legacy luxurious model, a head-to-head competitor with the ‘new cash’ participant.”
The battery-powered CLA goals to poach Tesla’s younger, tech-focused customers.
“There is a recognition that CLA brings 60 % new patrons to the model,” a Mercedes seller stated.
The Mercedes-Benz Modular Structure will help 4 entry-level EVs – a coupe, a capturing brake (wagon) and two crossovers.
Mercedes will initially construct MMA autos at factories in Rastatt, Germany; Keckskemet, Hungary; and Beijing.
The manufacturing model of the CLA EV will not arrive within the U.S. till round mid-decade. However the model’s retailers acquired a peek on the automobile in Could.
Sellers described the EV as bigger than the combustion engine CLA however with a sleeker profile.
The Idea CLA encompasses a drivetrain with an estimated vary of greater than 466 miles, primarily based on European testing requirements.
A 175-kilowatt electrical motor coupled to a two-speed transmission powers the coupe. Energy electronics embrace a silicon-carbide inverter.
The brand new motor, developed in-house, makes use of considerably fewer rare-earth metals, Mercedes stated.
With electrical consumption of about 5.2 miles per kilowatt-hour, the Idea CLA is the brand new “1-liter automotive,” Mercedes stated, evaluating it to probably the most frugal inner combustion autos right this moment.
The MMA structure helps two battery cell chemistries — a cost-efficient lithium-iron-phosphate battery and a denser silicon oxide anode design.
To scale back weight and increase rigidity, Mercedes makes use of adhesive, fairly than screws, to connect battery cell modules.
The Idea CLA options an 800-volt electrical system that may add as much as 248 miles of vary in quarter-hour, Mercedes stated.
The CLA EV and its successors will run a bespoke working system developed by Mercedes.
MB.OS (Mercedes-Benz Working System) combines in-house software program growth with expertise collaborations to enhance 4 key areas: infotainment, automated driving, physique and luxury, and powertrain programs.
“We’re the system’s architects,” Mercedes-Benz Chief Know-how Officer Markus Schäfer stated at a media and analyst occasion in February.
The brand new working system is constructed on in-house-developed {hardware} and software program that may entry providers and content material from tech suppliers. For example, Mercedes stated it would develop a branded navigation system primarily based on in-car information and navigation capabilities from the Google Maps Platform.
The design of the Idea CLA encompasses a shark-nose entrance finish, flared wheel arches and a large monitor.
Gentle bands across the entrance and rear are reflective chrome when not illuminated.
Mercedes describes the idea’s inside as “tech-infused minimalist magnificence” that mixes natural supplies equivalent to hemp and leather-based with high-gloss surfaces.
The ground mats are fabricated from bamboo fiber, whereas the console options recycled polyester upholstery.
Automotive Information Europe contributed to this report.