Mercedes-Benz unveils electric CLA, GLC with stable pricing pledge

Mercedes-Benz Korea unveiled electric versions of its CLA sedan and GLC SUV on Monday, with its vice president assuring buyers that the company would not abruptly cut prices in the coming weeks.

"Anyone looking at the price will see that it is target pricing," Kim Eun-choong, vice president of product and sales, said at the launch event at Mercedes-Benz Studio in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul.

Kim said the company is aware the subsidy ceiling will be lowered next year, adding, "There will never be a sudden price cut six weeks after launch."

Preorders for the CLA opened on Sept. 1, with the five electric trims priced from 52.9 million won ($39,700) to 67.7 million won. The entry CLA 200 Electric Essential sits just under the 53 million won ceiling for full government EV subsidies this year. GLC pricing was not announced at the event.

Shirin Emeera, CEO and president of Mercedes-Benz Korea. said at the event that the global shift to electric cars has progressed “in a more diversified manner than previously expected,” and that for the next decade and likely beyond, the brand’s lineup will offer “both pioneering all-electric vehicles and highly efficient high-tech combustion models.”

The CLA is the first car on the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), which will be extended across the compact lineup.

The CLA 250+ Electric carries an 85-kilowatt-hour nickel cobalt manganese battery with a range of 474 kilometers (294 miles) under Korean certification, while the CLA 200 Electric uses a 58-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery rated for 342 kilometers. The CLA comes in seven trims in Korea, five electric and two 48-volt mild hybrid.

The GLC is the first model on the Mercedes-Benz Electric Architecture for midsize and larger vehicles. The GLC 300 4Matic Electric has an 85-kilowatt-hour NCM battery and a certified range of 448 kilometers. A GLC 400 4Matic Electric follows in the first half of 2027.

Both run on 800-volt systems. The CLA 250+ and GLC 300 support direct current charging at up to 320 kilowatts, enabling a charge from 10 to 80 percent in about 22 minutes, according to the company. The company plans to introduce Plug & Charge in Korea in the first quarter of 2027.

Electric vehicles accounted for 52.1 percent of the 34,904 imported passenger cars newly registered in Korea in September, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association. Mercedes-Benz registered 43,249 vehicles from January through September, down 10.4 percent on year.

Emeera declined to give a sales target. "I cannot and will not disclose any number which we are aiming for," she said. "It is about making it right and sustainable."

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]