Mercedes-Benz will launch a successor to the A-Class in 2028, reversing earlier plans to discontinue the model as part of a revised entry-level strategy, a senior executive said.
In 2023, Chief Executive Ola Källenius outlined a compact-car roadmap built around four models based on the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA), including the CLA, a CLA shooting brake, and two SUVs positioned as successors to the EQA and EQB. The A-Class and B-Class were not included, as the company shifted focus toward higher-margin sedans and sport utility vehicles.
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However, Mercedes has since reconsidered. “It will be a standalone model on the MMA platform, something that hasn’t existed before,” Development Chief Jörg Burzer told Automobilwoche, confirming the addition of a fifth MMA model series.
The new vehicle will replace the current A-Class, which remains in production until 2027, but it will not follow the traditional compact hatchback format. According to Automobilwoche, it is expected to be “a crossover model that combines the advantages of an SUV with those of a compact van.”
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Burzer said the company aims to retain an attractive entry-level offering for Europe alongside region-specific models. “Our thinking here is: alongside models with a long wheelbase specifically for Asia and considerations for models even more tailored to the USA, we also want to continue offering a highly attractive entry-level model based on the MMA architecture for Europe,” he said.
The MMA platform supports both battery-electric and hybrid drivetrains. While the CLA and GLB are planned in hybrid variants in addition to fully electric versions, Mercedes has not confirmed whether the A-Class successor will be offered with both technologies.
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Production could take place at the company’s plant in Kecskemét, Hungary, according to Automobilwoche. The current A-Class is being built in Rastatt and will move to Hungary in early 2026 before production ends in 2027. The Kecskemét facility is already preparing for MMA-based production, including the electric GLB.
Separately, Burzer signaled that the EQS limousine may be phased out toward the end of the decade, as Mercedes prepares to introduce an all-electric S-Class. “By the end of the decade,” an all-electric S-Class will arrive, he said. “At that point, we will offer both drivetrain types in the S-Class.”
“We have learned an enormous amount from the electric EQS. How we will implement this exactly will be communicated at a later date,” Burzer added. “Ultimately, we want the S-Class to have a powertrain portfolio that enables electromobility as well as electrified internal combustion engine technology.”
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He declined to clarify whether the future S-Class will use a dedicated electric platform or a mixed architecture, noting that Mercedes is currently pursuing both approaches. The MMA-based compact models will be offered as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), while other nameplates such as the GLC are split between combustion-based hybrids and electric variants built on dedicated platforms.
Burzer also defended the company’s evolving innovation strategy. “The world has changed. In the past, you could wait six or seven years for an innovation—until the S-Class arrived,” he said. “Rolling out everything from one model downwards no longer works today. Innovation cycles are simply too short for that.”