2 days Ago By Matthew Guy
Article content Heading into a future of electrification, the crew at Mercedes-Benz wisely isn’t putting all its eggs in an EV basket. With the forthcoming 2025 Benz CLA , for example, customers will be able to choose between an all-electric powertrain or one comprised of a hybrid system. Engineers at Merc gave some background today on what we may expect from both of those propulsion systems for the next-gen car.
The hybrid will incorporate a 1.5L four-cylinder engine making about 185 horses on its own, though less powerful variants will likely pop up across the pond. A further couple of dozen ponies appear in the stable via electric drive power.
Front-wheel-drive is in the cards, but expect 4Matic to be standard in Canada. A new 48-volt flat pack with 1.3 kWh of energy content sits beneath the rear seat and driver’s perch, adding to the electric revelry.
It’s notable that the air conditioning compressor can use the 48-volt system, removing the ignominy of sweating to the oldies whilst stationary at every red light. Cylinders in this engine are slick – literally – thanks to Nanoslide technology, which fuses iron with carbon wires. The tech was first seen on Mercedes’ AMG products.
As for the 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV, look for an 800-volt architecture, meaning speedy recharge times and the ability to use batteries developed in-house by the Mercedes team. Options will include capacity of up to 85 kWh, nothing to sneeze at in a compact car. The company credits greater energy density for the performance in its so-called “premium” battery, along with anodes in which silicon oxide is added to the graphite.
There will also be an EV variant with a smaller capacity battery, described as “entry-level” — we’re talking 58 kWh of juice and a more traditional lithium-iron-phosphate cathode. It is unclear if this option, with different cell chemistry and less total driving range, will be offered in North America. Either way, intelligent thermal management of the batteries is being touted as a big deal, with preconditioning allowing the battery to take up to 36 kWh of energy within 10 minutes when hooked to an appropriately robust DC fast-charger.
All this, and likely several other future vehicles, ride on the Mercedes Modular Architecture, referred to as “MMA” by the company. We’ll see how it does in the ring when the platform debuts next year. Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram , Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.
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