Mercedes-Benz has encountered significant difficulties in the world's largest automotive market. The company is considering suspending production of the all-electric CLA due to extremely low demand. This comes shortly before the release of the new electric GLC, which is expected to become one of the brand's key models in China.
The CLA sedan went on sale in late 2025 and was positioned as one of Mercedes-Benz's most technologically advanced cars. It received the new MB.OS software platform, a voice assistant based on ByteDance's large language model Doubao, and a driver assistance system developed jointly with Momenta.
In spring 2026, the manufacturer expanded the lineup with a more affordable CLA 260 L version, priced from 229,000 yuan (approximately 2.6 million rubles). Despite the 800-volt architecture, a 40 mm extended wheelbase specifically for China, and a 60 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, the model failed to attract buyers.
From February to May, sales amounted to only 21, 358, 52, and 161 vehicles, respectively. The total sales volume did not reach 5,000 units. Sources from the publication claim that Mercedes-Benz is already discussing a temporary halt in CLA production to reduce inventory and free up capacity for the new GLC.
The company is now placing its main hopes on the electric GLC. The crossover is built on the specialized MB.EA platform and will enter the market on July 8. The preliminary price starts from 349,000 yuan (about 51,300 dollars).
The new model will feature an 800-volt electrical system, an eATS 2.0 powertrain, a huge 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, a voice AI assistant, and an L3 level conditionally autonomous driving system. However, competition will be extremely high: rivals will include the new BMW iX3, Audi Q6L e-tron, as well as models from Aito, Li Auto, Nio, Leapmotor, and Xpeng.
An additional challenge remains the overall slowdown of the Chinese market. The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) has downgraded its forecast for 2026, expecting a sales decline of 11%. Against this backdrop, Mercedes-Benz sales in China continue to shrink: in May, the company sold 25,699 vehicles – 34.9% less than a year earlier. The main reason remains the rapid decline in demand for internal combustion engine models.