Spoiled by new products, Chinese consumers have given a lukewarm reception to the new Mercedes-Benz CLA L, which features a longer wheelbase specifically designed for them: sales have been very weak, forcing the joint venture Beijing Benz plant in Beijing to pause production of this model.
The global third-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA debuted in March 2025, offered with both hybrid and fully electric powertrains. In Europe, the new CLA was warmly received, so much so that production had to be ramped up. However, in China, the exact opposite happened.
The Chinese Mercedes-Benz CLA L went on sale in November 2025 in a single all-electric, single-motor version, the CLA 300 L (272 hp, range of 866 km on a single charge under the CLTC cycle). In April of this year, the more affordable CLA 260 L version hit the market — also a single-motor electric model (224 hp, range of 600 km on a single charge under the CLTC cycle).
The overall length of the Chinese Mercedes-Benz CLA L has been increased compared to the global sedan version, from 4723 mm to 4763 mm, the wheelbase has grown from 2790 mm to 2830 mm, the width has been reduced from 1855 mm to 1836 mm, and the height has increased from 1468 mm to 1471 mm. All the extra wheelbase length has been allocated to increasing rear passenger legroom — it was assumed this would elevate the model's status, but while this approach worked well in the past, it no longer does.
According to data from the resource Mbpassion, only 627 units of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA L were sold in China during the first half of 2026. Mass production becomes meaningless with such volumes, so to avoid overstocking warehouses, production of the Mercedes-Benz CLA L has been temporarily paused. How long this pause will last is currently unknown. It is unlikely the model will be discontinued — rather, they will probably try to make it cheaper and lower prices.
The base Mercedes-Benz CLA 260 L currently starts at 229,000 yuan (approximately 2.65 million rubles at the current exchange rate), and the CLA 300 L starts at 249,000 yuan (approximately 2.88 million rubles). This is expensive because for 219,900 yuan (2.54 million rubles), you can get the larger Xiaomi SU7, and for 203,800 yuan (2.36 million rubles), you can get the even larger and very striking Xpeng P7.
Overall, Mercedes-Benz sales in China fell by 28% to 210,200 vehicles in the first half of the year, according to the company's own data. Mercedes-Benz management currently does not know how to stop this decline, because China has lost Mercedes-Benz's main trump cards — brand prestige and technological superiority. Leading local automotive brands are now more attractive to Chinese consumers; their cars are cheaper and are updated at a speed that Mercedes-Benz cannot yet even dream of.
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