Homecoming on the Rhine: Mercedes-Benz CLA Returns to Germany

At last, it has happened. The Mercedes-Benz CLA, once assembled in a quiet Hungarian town, has come home - to the heart of Germany, along the banks of the Rhine in Rastatt. Perhaps the political winds in Hungary grew too chilly, or perhaps, in hard times, it's just good economics to give your own people the jobs. Either way, this is a homecoming with both symbolism and bratwurst.

The Rastatt plant, previously known for churning out A-Class compacts and electric GLA and EQA models, now rolls out the next generation of the CLA. The first to emerge are fully electric. Hybrids will follow in late autumn, and eventually, production will spread eastward to Beijing, where Mercedes has a joint manufacturing hub with BAIC.

Unveiled in March, the new CLA is now Mercedes-Benz's "gateway to the world" - a role once held by the A-Class. For those who dream of the three-pointed star on their hood, this is where the journey begins. The lineup is anything but stingy: a classic sedan, a sportier Shooting Brake, and two lightly rugged crossovers—the GLA and GLB—each redesigned for a new era.

At its core is the cutting-edge MMA platform, built to embrace both combustion engines and electric power. For now, the CLA is offered solely as an EV, equipped with a sci-fi-level 800-volt architecture. Both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive variants are available. And by the end of 2025, three new hybrids will enter the market, all powered by a fresh 1.5-liter turbo engine developed in tandem with Geely. Yes, even here, the Chinese are in the game.

The CLA hits European showrooms this July. Battery packs arrive from Saxony, powertrain modules from just outside Stuttgart in Untertürkheim. Everything ticking like Swiss clockwork.

But not all is smooth sailing. Perpetually disgruntled American voices have complained that the new CLA doesn’t play well with 400-volt charging stations - a real issue in the U.S., where the charging infrastructure is often more patchwork than picture. Mercedes promises that by 2026, every CLA will come standard with a voltage adapter, making it equally compatible with both 400 and 800-volt systems.