The head of Mercedes-Benz has seemingly confirmed the impending end of the line for the A-Class, saying the brand’s next-gen entry-level range will comprise just 4 models…

Rumours that the Mercedes-Benz A-Class will be axed after its current generation have seemingly been confirmed by none other than the head of the German automaker.

Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, made some interesting comments at the IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich, talking specifically about the “upcoming family of vehicles that stands at the gateway to the brand”.

The Stuttgart-based firm revealed its new fully electric Concept CLA Class – featuring an 800-volt electrical architecture and boasting a claimed single-charge range of 750 km – at the show, billing it as a “close-to-production” representation of the future of the brand’s entry-level vehicle line-up. In the press material, Källenius makes the following remark:

“The Concept CLA Class is the forerunner for an entirely new all-electric segment of entry-level vehicles at Mercedes-Benz. The range will comprise a total of 4 new models – a 4-door coupé, a shooting brake and 2 stunning SUVs – each with significantly elevated product substance.”

Based on that comment, the next-generation range of compact vehicles – each based on the new Mercedes‑Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), which is interestingly described as an “electric-first” rather than electric-only platform – will not include a traditional hatchback or sedan body style, which seemingly sounds the death knell for the A-Class (and indeed the B-Class MPV). Instead, there will be a new CLA, a new CLA Shooting Brake and a pair of SUVs (inheriting the GLA and GLB nameplates, perhaps?).

Last year, Mercedes-Benz confirmed it would “reduce the number of model variants” in its next-generation compact range from 7 to 4 as part of its bid toreposition the brandfor higher profitability and increased electrification.

So, it seems the current A-Class – which is offered in both W177 hatchback and V117 sedan guises – will be put out to pasture in the next couple of years, with earlier reports suggesting the lifecycle would end by around 2025. Of course, a facelifted version was unwrapped late in 2022, before arriving in South Africa in mid-2023.

As a reminder, the original A-Class was introduced in 1997 as an MPV-shaped hatchback, before a 2nd-generation model hit the market in 2004. The 3rd iteration – which debuted in 2012 – was entirely re-invented as a more dynamically designed hatchback conceived to battle the likes of the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3. The current 4th take on the A-Class arrived on the global stage in 2018.

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