The new CLA 45 is arguably the most drastic reinvention in AMG’s lineup this generation — a switch from a turbocharged four-cylinder to a tri-motor electric powertrain that somehow lands at almost exactly the same price as the car it replaces. In the UK, saloon pricing starts around $91,000, with the Shooting Brake estate version costing about $92,300. Deliveries begin next year, with the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N — priced from $89,500 — shaping up as its closest rival.
The Same Price, A Completely Different Powertrain
Mercedes-AMG
AMG built the CLA 45 around three axial-flux motors supplied by British firm Yasa, paired with the 94kWh battery destined for the upcoming C-Class Electric. Combined output lands at 671 hp and 1,297 lb-ft of torque — enough that AMG is positioning it as directly matching the outgoing C63’s power figures, despite the C63 being a considerably larger, heavier PHEV super-saloon. AMG has already backed that claim up on track: the CLA 45 recently set a Nürburgring lap record for its segment, beating times set by more powerful EVs from Porsche and Tesla. Rated range is 416 miles under Europe’s WLTP cycle, which typically translates to somewhere closer to 350 miles under the EPA’s stricter US testing methodology.
Charging Built Around The Route, Not Just The Battery
One of the more unusual details is how the CLA 45 handles charging logistics. When a route is set in the built-in navigation, the car automatically pre-heats or cools the battery ahead of a planned charging stop to maximize the rate it can accept, allowing peak charging at 330kW and a 10-80 percent top-up in 22 minutes — or, by Mercedes’ math, roughly 168 WLTP miles added in just 10 minutes (closer to 140 miles on the EPA cycle). Inside, the sporting overhaul is more than cosmetic: standard bucket seats with thick bolsters, a new AMG steering wheel with drive-mode dials, and a switch from a rear bench to two individual rear chairs — meaning this generation of CLA 45 is a strict four-seater rather than a five-seat compromise.
Mercedes-AMG
The fact that the C63 needed replacing at all traces back to tightening European noise rules and the cost of continuing to re-engineer its complex four-cylinder hybrid setup — a fate Autoblog reported was closing in on the car months before this replacement’s pricing landed. Whether AMG’s existing customer base follows it into a fully electric compact car is the real question this launch is designed to answer.
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