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 will kill the popular A-Class hatchback at the end of 2026, with no immediate plan in the works for a successor. Speaking to Auto Express, Mercedes board member for R&D, Markus Schafer, said: “For now we have extended the life-cycle for the A-Class. And then [we will] just watch the market.”
When questioned about how long it’ll be extended, Markus continued: “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.
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.
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