It looks like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class‘ stay of execution was just that – having had its production extended by two years, Stuttgart’s longest-running compact model will indeed be killed off in 2026 without a successor. The news was confirmed by chief technical officer Markus Schäfer during the reveal of the new third-generation CLA last week, according to Carscoops.
“We need models that work all over the world, including China and the USA. I know the hatchback is the favourite body style in Europe, but it was not part of the plans, and we had to make choices — even difficult ones,” he said. “Reducing complexity is a key task for us. For this reason, bringing the compact family from seven to four models was necessary in this segment.”
Mercedes has long telegraphed this move – as early as 2023, during the reveal of the Concept CLA Class, the company said the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) will only spawn four compact cars. These are a four-door coupé (the recently-announced CLA), a shooting brake and two SUVs, the latter of which we are assuming to be the next-generation GLA and GLB.
This leaves no room for the A-Class in either hatchback or sedan flavours, and it also means the slow-selling B-Class MPV won’t see another generation. Culling a big-selling mainstream model (the A-Class) instead of a niche offering (the CLA and its Shooting Brake sibling) seems like an odd choice, but it does fit Mercedes’ new stated goal of building “the world’s most desirable cars.”
The decision to prolong the A-Class’ lifespan came as part of a realignment of Mercedes’ electrification strategy that will see the company produce combustion engines into the 2030s. With the CLA set to gain a hybrid powertrain later this year, the A-Class won’t have to bear the torch for petrol power for much longer.
The A-Class isn’t the only hatchback going the way of the dodo – it’s also been recently confirmed that production of the Ford Focus will also end in November, as the world gravitates towards SUVs. With this news, the once bustling C-segment hatch market will be dwindled down to the Volkswagen Golf and…not much else besides.
GALLERY: W177 Mercedes-Benz A-Class in Malaysia
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