Mercedes-Benz previews next CLA, breaks EV distance record in testing
A CLA covered 2,309 miles in 24 hours in testing.
Mercedes-Benz is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the next generation of its sleek CLA sedan. Due to be officially introduced next year, it will feature the latest and greatest in Mercedes’ powertrain technology and software, and ahead of that formal reveal, the automaker sent out some images of a camouflaged CLA being driven around its test track in southern Germany by company CEO Ola Källenius.
The next CLA will be the first Mercedes to use the new MB.OS as its underlying operating system, a Linux-based system that also runs QNX in a hypervisor for the safety-critical stuff like the dashboard display. CEO Källenius gave Ars a run-through of MB.UX in 2023, explaining that while it will still work with third parties, it remains in charge.
“We are the full architects of the stack. That doesn’t mean we need to program every line of code. It doesn’t make technological sense, and it doesn’t make economic sense,” he told Ars.