China
Mercedes-Benz’s China-only CLA L registered zero new sales in June, the worst month yet for a car that has struggled since launch. The long-wheelbase electric sedan, built locally by the Beijing Benz joint venture, sold just 627 units across the first half of 2026: 35 in January, 21 in February, a brief jump to 358 in March, then 52 in April, 161 in May, and none in June.
German trade outlet MB-Passion reported that the zero month reflects a production pause at the Beijing plant, a claim picked up widely in the days after. Mercedes has since denied it, telling Chinese media on July 24 that the CLA “remains in production” with “relatively stable” monthly output, and attributing the rumor to a routine rotation of scheduled summer maintenance across its production lines. The company has not disclosed its own sales figures or directly addressed the zero-registration month.
The CLA L launched in Beijing in November 2025 as the CLA 300 L, priced from 249,000 yuan (about $34,900), roughly half the starting price of the standard-wheelbase CLA sold in Europe. It carries a 2,830 mm wheelbase, 40 mm longer than the global car, an 89 kWh battery, and an 866 km CLTC range. Despite the aggressive local pricing, dealer-level reporting has described the slow sales as less about cost and more a “value mismatch”: prospective buyers cite missing driver-assistance features and less capable software compared with domestic options at the same price.
The stumble comes as Mercedes’ broader China business contracts. Group deliveries in the country fell 34.9% year-on-year in May 2026, driven mostly by combustion models, while the field the CLA competes in keeps getting more crowded, with more German rivals due and established Chinese EV brands holding strong order books.
