Mercedes has been overly optimistic about the growing popularity of electric vehicles, claiming that hybrids and EVs would account for 50 per cent of its sales by 2025. That's unlikely to happen, however, as the new target for 2024 is just 21 per cent of total deliveries. Faced with this harsh reality, the German luxury brand will no longer kill off its cheapest petrol car this year.
The A-Class was due to be phased out in 2024, but now its life cycle has been extended well into 2026, according to Autocar. The compact hatchback is effectively the entry point into the Mercedes range, starting at €37,401 in its home market of Germany. Last month, CEO Ola Kallenius admitted that price parity between internal combustion and pure electric models was "many years away". The executive went on to say that customers can see this in the price gap between an ICE car and an EV.
Mercedes is working on a new family of compact cars that will also have combustion engines. The CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, GLA and GLB will all be replaced on a newly developed MMA platform that will support both gas engines and fully electric drivetrains. The company hasn't said a word about whether the A-Class hatchback, A-Class saloon and B-Class minivan will be replaced. We do know that there are plans for a "Little G" SUV based on this new architecture.
There are signs that the European Union's ban on the sale of new cars with emissions in 2035 may not actually come into force. Lutz Meschke, Porsche's chief financial officer, said recently that "there are a lot of discussions around the end of the combustion engine. I think it could be delayed." If that happens, which wouldn't come as a huge shock, the ICE age will be extended.
Source: Autocar