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Mercedes A-Class to die at the end of 2026, with no successor confirmed

Mercedes has confirmed a decision has not been made on a future A-Class, but the hatchback will remain in production until the end of 2026

Mercedes A-Class - front cornering

Mercedes will has not committed to building the popular A-Class hatchback beyond 2026, and there's no immediate plan for a successor in the works either.

When questioned about how long the current A-Class has left, Mercedes board member for R&D, Markus Schafer, said: “End of next year, for now.” This puts a firm deadline on the A-Class, which will have been in production for eight years by the end of 2026. 

To complicate matters, Mercedes has already put the effective replacement of the A-Class into full production. The new Mercedes CLA, which runs on the company’s powertrain-flexible MMA platform, has been designed as electric-first, but will also be offered with a range of hybrid powertrains. 

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This is in contrast to Merc’s larger models, which split its ICE and EV models into two distinct platforms, but Markus explained why this wasn’t required for models in these smaller segments saying: “We can do it because of the transverse engine, so the packaging doesn’t require so much compromise.” 

This leaves the forthcoming Mercedes GLA SUV with the job of appealing to Merc’s entry-level customers, but if a new A-Class was to be put on the agenda, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult to adapt the MMA platform to fit thanks to its packaging flexibility. 

If you’re interested in buying an electric or hybrid Mercedes, make sure you check out the Auto Express Buy a Car service for all the latest deals... 

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Senior staff writer

Senior staff writer at Auto Express, Jordan joined the team after six years at evo magazine where he specialised in news and reviews of cars at the high performance end of the car market. 

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