It's been a long time coming, but Mercedes-Benz has fully unveiled the all-new 2026 CLA, and it was worth the wait. We've known for some time now that the model was going electric, as Mercedes as a whole is planning on going fully electric eventually,

Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan will come as both an EV and a hybrid, and feature over-the-air updates and AI-based infotainment.

Mercedes splits the CLA-Class into EV and hybrid offerings, as it tackles some of the most efficient small cars on the road.

Initially, Mercedes-Benz will offer the 268-horsepower CLA 250+ with rear-wheel drive and the performance-oriented 349-horsepower CLA 350 4MATIC with all-wheel drive. That’s far more potent than the 221-horsepower four-cylinder mild hybrid driveline offered for 2025.

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.

Mercedes-Benz CLA is the latest in a spate of new vehicles reversing the technology trickle-down process we normally see from the three-pointed star. In the past, Benz's latest and greatest technologies would debut on the S-Class limousine before making their way to more affordable models.

Mercedes-Benz did something a little unusual with the CLA, and now it has something in common with the Porsche Taycan.