The new Mercedes-Benz CLA will be making its Malaysian debut this month. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) has posted an invitation to the ‘Class of its own’ event on its social media, which mentions January 15-18 and the Stars@Mercedes-Benz Bangsar showroom, previously known as NZ Wheels Bangsar.
This third-generation CLA, codenamed C178, debuted in March 2025 as an EV. Built on the new Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), it has an 800V electrical architecture that allows for DC fast charging at up to 320 kW.
No local specs mentioned yet, but the C178 was announced with two fully electric variants – the CLA250+ with a 272 PS/335 Nm single rear motor, and a CLA350 that adds a 109 PS front motor for a combined output of 354 PS and 515 Nm. The CLA250+ is good for 0-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 210 km/h, while the more dual-motor CLA350 does 4.9 seconds.
Powering the EV is an 85 kWh (nett) nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery, which provides WLTP range of between 694 km and 792 km for the CLA250+, and between 672 km to 771 km for the CLA350. M-B says that the impressive range is boosted by the second-generation Electric Drive Unit (EDU 2.0) with a two-speed transmission, and in the case of the CLA350, the ability to disconnect the front motor.
As mentioned, the max DC charging rate is an impressive 320 kW, which allows for 325 km of extra range to be added in just 10 minutes of charging. AC charging maxes out at 11 kW. The interior highlight is the MBUX Superscreen with three displays that span the width of the dashboard, powered by AI.
Interested parties can register their interest for both the car and preview event. Learn more about the new CLA here.
GALLERY: C178 Mercedes-Benz CLA
The post 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV Malaysian debut date confirmed – C178 preview, Stars@Bangsar, Jan 15-18 appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
