Mercedes-Benz CLA: Production to Increase as Demand Soars

The new-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA was unveiled around three months ago, and the market has welcomed it enthusiastically. Demand has been strong enough for the German manufacturer to announce an increase in production.

Mercedes-Benz CLA production ramps up in Rastatt

According to Joerg Burzer, head of production, the Rastatt plant in Germany will move to three daily shifts from the second half of the year in response to high demand for the new Mercedes-Benz CLA. Speaking to Automobilwoche, Burzer described demand as “very encouraging”.

The publication reports that some German customers who have already placed orders may not receive their cars until 2026 because of the high level of demand.

For now, the most significant aspect of the announcement is that the new CLA is available exclusively as a fully electric model. The mild-hybrid versions, which are expected to prove more popular, will only enter production towards the end of this year, alongside the shooting brake variant.

The Rastatt factory has capacity to build up to 200,000 units annually. Electric motors, meanwhile, are assembled in Untertürkheim, near Stuttgart, where 200 motors are currently produced each day - equivalent to 50,000 per year. However, the head of production is aiming much higher: “hundreds of thousands”, he said.

Unlike the situation seen in several parts of the world, Mercedes-Benz CLA production in Rastatt does not appear to have been affected by disruption to supplies of Chinese rare earths, a crisis that seems to be moving towards a resolution.

Mercedes-Benz CLA arrival and versions

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA is scheduled to reach the Portuguese market in September. It will be offered in two versions: 250+ and 350+. The longer-range version claims almost 800 km from a single charge.

When will the other Mercedes-Benz CLA versions arrive?

The remaining variants will follow later, with the mild-hybrid model not expected until 2026. Prices have not yet been announced, although Ola Källenius, Mercedes-Benz’s chief executive, has said that the electric and hybrid CLA versions will be similarly priced.