{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”Article”,”image”:”https://car-images.bauersecure.com/wp-images/267845/090-mercedes-cla45.jpg”,”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/mercedes-benz/2026-cla-45/”},”url”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/mercedes-benz/2026-cla-45/”,”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Ted Welford”,”description”:”Ted Welford is New Cars Editor on the Bauer automotive hub, working across CAR and our sister website Parkers. Specialising in road testing the latest cars, Ted is also quite the newshound, always investigating the latest industry topics and digging out new stories at any opportunity. u00A0nTed has been a car enthusiast since the start, almost inevitable growing up with a rallying-obsessed family and being ferried around in the back seat of various Subaru Imprezas u2013 the perfect family car, obviously. As a child, Ted hadxf an enviable collection of toy cars, and it was always obvious that he would channel a career linked to cars in one way or another. u00A0nAfter completing his A-levels, Ted started an NCTJ-accredited apprenticeship in journalism with automotive news agency Blackball Media. Thrown into the deep end from the start, he would soon be on the phone to press offices, submitting freedom of information requests and covering new car launches at the age of 20.u00A0u00A0u00A0nTed worked his way up to staff writer at Blackball Media, in a varied role that would cover news, features and a growing focus on new car reviews, writing the latest first drives on everything from the new Dacia Sandero to Lamborghinis, and honing his skills to review and report on the latest cars. He joined CAR and Parkers in February 2024.u00A0u00A0nOutside of working hours, Ted is usually browsing car auctions and classifies in search of a bargain (often unsuccessfully), and currently owns a Mk1 Audi TT Quattro Sport and Renault Clio 182 Trophy. Heu2019s also an avid and perfectionist car valeter and detailer u2013 yes, one of those bores that lectures you about the two-bucket method. Away from cars he loves travelling the world and is also a keen golfer and mountain biker.u00A0nOn social media, you can follow Ted on his personal Instagram account or one dedicated to cars, while heu2019s also on X, formerly Twitter, usually moaning about how much his cars have cost him. You can read Tedu2019s latest articles below.”,”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://car-assets.bauersecure.com/wp-images/179402/ted_welford.jpg”,”caption”:”Ted Welford”},”sameAs”:”https://x.com/TedWelford”,”url”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/author/ted-welford/”,”email”:”ted.welford@bauermedia.co.uk”,”jobTitle”:”New Cars Editor”,”knowsAbout”:”Automotive”,”worksFor”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”CAR”}},”dateModified”:”2026-07-09T13:00:00+01:00″,”datePublished”:”2026-07-09T13:00:00+01:00″,”headline”:”The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is now electric and boasts a ridiculous 671bhp”,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Bauer Media”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Car Magazine”},”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://car-assets.bauersecure.com/images/logos/car.200×88.png”}}}
The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is now electric and boasts a ridiculous 671bhp
► Moves from petrol electric power – with ridiculous performance
► Saloon and Shooting Brake remain
► It also makes the sound of an old petrol CLA 45
Mercedes-AMG has unveiled its new CLA 45 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, moving the firm’s ‘baby’ performance model from petrol to electric power for and getting an insane performance boost in the process.
Using tech shared with the flagship new electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, the CLA 45 is powered by three pancake-shaped axial flux electric motors from British firm Yasa. These motors are more compact and lighter than traditional e-motors, with the CLA having two on the rear axle and one on the front.
Combined, they put out 671bhp – a truly ridiculous number for what is essentially AMG’s entry-level model, and a significant increase on the previous 2.0-litre petrol CLA 45’s 416bhp. This new car can accelerate to 62mph in a hypercar-rivalling 2.7 seconds, while the axial flux motors are able to deliver high performance more consistently than usual motors.
The rear motors alone can deliver 671bhp, with the front motor only being engaged when additional power is required. The car can be locked in ‘rear drive’ guise, however. Its top speed is 155mph as standard, but can be raised to 168mph with the optional ‘AMG Dynamic Plus package’.
Its 94kWh (usable) battery is also larger than that of a standard Mercedes CLA, with Mercedes claiming a range of up to 416 miles for the saloon and 398 miles for the Shooting Brake version. Its 800V architecture also enables max charging speeds of up to 330kW, allowing a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 22 minutes.
Sports suspension with three-way adaptive dampers is standard, with the harshest setting getting the name AMGFORCE S+’. An additional ‘Race’ setting is also available within the drive modes.
AMG has also been playing around with sound profiles to accompany this CLA’s performance, with that aforementioned ‘AMGFORCE S+’ setting introducing the same sound as the previous four-pot petrol CLA 45. The firm says it used 13 microphones positioned inside and outside the old car to create more than 1,600 audio files of the car’s noise, including its burbling exhaust. The firm says the result is that it has ‘digitally reproduced every facet of the original AMG sound’ for this electric model.
Visually, the CLA 45 doesn’t look massively different from a standard CLA in AMG Line guise, but key differences include an AMG-specific grille, while the front light bar is removed, though can be reinstated as an option. An active rear spoiler also features on both the saloon and Shooting Brake.
Revised bumpers incorporate larger splitters, while larger 19-inch alloys are fitted as standard. More aggressive ‘Night’ packages are available as an option, featuring a darkened grille, black badging and window surrounds, among other elements. Inside, the 45 retains the standard CLA’s tech fest of an interior, though comes with sports seats as standard, while the middle rear seat is removed from both derivatives to build on their ‘uncompromisingly sporty character’.
Pricing is still to be confirmed, and we expect it to arrive in the UK by the end of 2026.
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