Mercedes is pitching the new CLA EV as a groundbreaker. It won't necessarily be a bad car, but it's flawed. Mercedes-Benz really wants us to believe that the new CLA is revolutionary. First teased as a concept in 2023,

Mercedes is also bucking the traditional method of introducing a new platform as an ICE vehicle and then wedging the design into an EV platform. Instead, the company is going “EV first,” launching the CLA as an EV first and then later as an internal combustion with a mild hybrid in 2026.