- Mercedes is working on a successor to the A-Class, but it won’t be another hatchback.
- This new model will also replace the B-Class by combining the characteristics of a minivan and SUV.
- It will have a European focus and launch in 2028.
Mercedes discontinued the A-Class in the United States several years ago, but the entry-level model continues to be sold in Europe and other markets. The hatchback’s life cycle has been extended and will continue until 2028, by which time it will be a decade old. It’s an extraordinary long run that wasn’t part of the original plan, as the smallest car to wear the three-pointed star was supposed to be retired this year.
Due to popular demand, the A-Class will continue in service for several more years, with production moving in the second quarter of 2026 from the Rastatt plant in Germany to the Kecskemet plant in Hungary. Extending the life cycle gives Mercedes more time to work on a replacement, not another hatchback or sedan. Instead, it will combine two different body styles: minivan and SUV.
The newcomer will also be an indirect successor to the B-Class minivan, which will be launched later this year. German business newspaper Mobilwoche quoted Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Jörg Burzer as saying that future compact cars “will be very interesting vehicles; we have to build them.” He added some intrigue by claiming that “this is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.”
Mercedes will likely produce the unnamed model in Hungary, especially as the A-Class will soon lose its “Made in Germany” label. The company’s CTO told Mobilwoche that the new compact vehicle will target young, affluent buyers in Europe. Pricing remains a mystery, but it’s reasonable to assume that it will be more expensive than the A-Class, which is priced at almost €35,000 in its home market. In Germany, a base CLA with a gas engine starts at almost €44,000, so something of a mediocre one.
