The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA has AI so smart it wants to be your friend

The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA has AI so smart it wants to be your friend


QUICK SUMMARY

The all-new Mercedes CLA debuts a new 800-volt charge system and infotainment with AI from ChatGPT and Google Gemini, plus cloud gaming and Xbox controller support.

With a battery capacity of 85 kWh, Mercedes says it has a range of up to 492 miles and can add 186 miles after just 10 minutes of charging.

The second generation of electric cars from Mercedes-Benz has arrived, with the all-new CLA – a car so clever and so packed with artificial intelligence that its makers claim it can recognise your emotions like a friend.

The new CLA might look like a regular update to an existing model on the outside, but under the skin, it’s an all-new car. Mercedes has installed an 800-volt electric architecture that unlocks faster and has more efficient charging. This lets the CLA fill its next-generation 85 kWh battery at up to 320 kW – or, in plain English, it can add up to 186 miles of range in just 10 minutes.

The total range is a claimed 492 miles, and Mercedes says the CLA can achieve an efficiency of just over five miles per kWh, partly thanks to the drivetrain’s efficiency but also owing to the CLA’s extra-slippery aerodynamics.

Mercedes CLA

(Image credit: Mercedes)

To demonstrate just how far an efficient EV with fast charging can go, Mercedes conducted a test in 2024 that saw a prototype CLA cover 2,309 miles in just 24 hours. Driven at the Nardò test facility in Italy, the car averaged a little over 96 mph and stopped for 40 ten-minute battery charges to cover the distance.