Mercedes-Benz has confirmed its A-Class hatch won’t be renewed for a fifth generation, meaning another small European car will soon exit the market.
“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,” Mercedes-Benz chief technology officer Markus Schafer said in remarks reported by Carscoops.
“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.”
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Rumours of the A-Class’ axing began swirling in mid-2022, when German media outlet Handelsblatt reported the model would be discontinued in 2025 alongside the lower-selling B-Class.
Mercedes-Benz subsequently confirmed in 2023 it was trimming its lineup of what it calls Entry Luxury vehicles from seven to just four vehicles, releasing a teaser image showing only what appeared to be replacements for the CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, GLA and GLB.
While you can still buy the A-Class hatchback in Australia in A200, A250 and AMG A35 guises for now, its sedan counterpart was axed in February 2025. The related B-Class exited the Australian market in 2023.
The A-Class sedan had already been axed in the United States and Canada in 2022. In the same year, Mercedes-Benz also announced it would trim its lineup by culling a number of its smaller models, while releasing more high-end vehicles to increase profit.
The new-generation Entry Luxury vehicles will ride the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), which supports electric and combustion powertrains.
The third-generation CLA will be the first vehicle on the platform when it goes on sale in 2026.
Confirmation of the A-Class’ impending demise follows Audi’s announcement this month the smaller A1 – along with the small Q2 SUV – will exit production next year.
Both also have no direct successor, though a new electric vehicle (EV) in what Audi calls the A-segment is expected to enter production in the same year and slot in under the Q4 e-tron.
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Mercedes-Benz CLA
Mercedes’ smallest hatch has had a much longer life than the A1.
The A-Class first entered production in 1996 as the German brand’s most compact car yet and featured quirky, one-box design and a front-wheel drive configuration – unusual for Mercedes-Benz at the time.
That model became infamous in 1997 for flipping during a Swedish publication’s “moose test”, prompting a three-month sales halt until the issue was fixed with the addition of electronic stability control.
The second-generation model arrived in 2004 and was succeeded by the third in 2012, which adopted a more conventional hatchback silhouette.
It was followed by the current fourth-generation model in 2018, which currently starts at $56,900 before on-roads for the base A200 and jumps to $89,700 before on-roads for the AMG A35.
It’s one of Mercedes-Benz’s most popular models, not only in Europe but also here. Last year, a total of 1997 were delivered, making it the brand’s third best-selling model.
The A-Class and the A1 aren’t the only small hatchbacks facing the chopping block. Later this year, Ford will end production of the Focus, which was already axed here in 2022.
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