Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: The new power move
With sustainable materials, bio-engineered elements, tonnes of LED lights and a range of 750 km, the Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class is the future
The IAA Mobility 2023 show in Munich was all about EVs and more EVs. Car manufacturers are in a race against the calendar which marks 2035 as the last year that cars with a combustion engine can be sold in Europe. After 2035, all cars have to be purely electric. For the automotive industry structured around long lead times and product lifecycles that can stretch for a decade, this deadline is in effect just around the corner.
So, how can a company differentiate itself in this highly charged (pun intended) and tumultuous transition? Mercedes-Benz, which unveiled its stunning Concept CLA class, is an example in how the world’s oldest car maker is embracing its electric future.
The Concept CLA class is from a new range of compact all-electric Mercs, built on Mercedes-Benz’s Modular Architecture (MMA), and is designed to meet all the regulations and trends for the next decade. This Concept, LED lights shining, certainly looks like its landed on Earth from some far-flung galaxy.
LEDs are a common visual signature for EVs to underscore their futuristic image, and Mercedes’s designers gone to town with them. One LED band runs along the nose. One is at the rear. The sides too have LED strips in the fenders. LEDs of the iconic three-pointed star have been incorporated into various parts of the car. The massive grille is particularly distinctive, with an illuminated Mercedes emblem at the centre with tiny stars surrounding it. The headlights too are designed to look like the Mercedes star and the panoramic sunroof has its sprinkling of stars embedded into the glass.
The standout feature is the shark nose-like front end and is the new design signature for future Mercs. Loyalists may find it too in-your-face but it’s the younger generation Mercedes is after. They like bling, LEDs and colour.
The Concept CLA also previews the next-generation electric-drive technology, offering a range of more than 750km and, if you’ve got a spare 15 minutes, fast charging for 400 kilometers more. That’s faster than a coffee break! It’s bi-directional charging capability means this Merc EV is practically a personal power station. Need to juice up your laptop (V2A)? It’s got you covered. Power outage at home (V2H)? Just run the lights using the car’s V2H interface. Want to give back to the grid (V2G)? Yep, it can do that too.
The sci-fi show continues in the cabin as well. The star: Mercedes’ Superscreen, which runs along the entire width of the dashboard. The turbine-like aircon vents on the two ends are digitally visualised and look incredibly high-tech. The sculpted seats and door are wrapped in sustainably produced napa leather in shades of silver and crystal white. The illuminated blue and violet strips of ambient lighting look space-age cool.
Buckle up for the future. It’s coming to a showroom near you in the next two years. The production version of the CLA Concept is due in India by 2025, followed by other models on this same architecture. Mercedes has certainly aimed for the stars. Let’s hope it doesn’t cost the moon.
