Mercedes Might Replace The A-Class With An Inexpensive Crossover
Due to replace the global-market A-Class, the as-yet-unnamed SUV will likely slot in beneath the GLA and GLB, allowing Benz to keep tabs on the lowest stratum in the luxury car market and hopefully convert new buyers into lifelong brand loyalists.
Small Mercedes, Large-Scale Rethink
When the company announced the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) in 2023, the A-Class was on the chopping block since the brand wanted to move upward, replacing it with the more expensive and stylish CLA upon its debut. But strong demand for the hatchback and sedan family in Europe has convinced Mercedes to keep its entry-level model in production through at least 2028. At that point, the A-Class will go away, but recent reports from Carscoops suggest that the automaker will replace it with a similarly priced crossover, rather than forcing first-time Benz buyers to step up to the CLA.
The new crossover might be based on the same MMA platform as the swoopy new four-door, meaning it could be available with all-electric, internal combustion, or hybrid power, and if it roughly matches the European A-Class five-door's base price, it would start at around $42,000 (the German-market hatchback costs 34,252 euros at time of writing). That would undercut the estimated price of the electric CLA 250+ by around $15,000 – an internal-combustion version is also on the way – giving shoppers a more spacious and practical option to boot.
The GLA And GLB Are Still Happening
The A-Class–replacing crossover likely won't step on the toes of the more expensive two-row GLA and three-row GLB SUVs, which will also show up on the MMA platform. In 2026, the company is planning to show off two new battery-electric "entry" models, meaning anything whose name ends in A or B, as well as an additional ICE product in the same family. Then, in 2027, one more electric entry model will arrive. We presume next year's debuts will be the GLA and GLB, and our intel suggests the former will be EV-only while the latter will offer both ICE and electric powertrains.
As part of its unprecedented onslaught of new vehicles, Mercedes is also reportedly working on a baby G-Class, but unlike its unibody SUV siblings, it will be a dedicated off-roader with a one-off body-on-frame platform. Apparently, that model will be all-electric, potentially representing the 2027 debut in the brand's entry-level family – though technically, Mercedes considers the G family to be in its top echelon of products.
2028 Will Be The Year Of The Cheap Mercedes
Then, as the brand begins to sunset the existing A-Class, its crossover replacement will arrive. Carscoops reports that Mercedes won't have a supply gap in its cheapest products, meaning the new vehicle should arrive at the same time that the A-Class hatch goes away (if not slightly beforehand). It would make sense for the inexpensive new crossover to make use of the same MMA platform as the GLA, possibly downsized a bit to justify its lower price. We've reached out to the automaker for comment and will update the story if Mercedes responds.
