Barely six months after confirming the A-Class would be dropped from its line-up, Mercedes-Benz appears to have backtracked, with a hatchback successor due in 2028.
Mercedes-Benz has reportedly backtracked on plans to depart the small hatch market occupied by today's A-Class hatch.
In March 2025, the brand announced that the current fourth-generation A-Class would be the brand’s last, with Mercedes-Benz instead focusing on more expensive, higher-margin models.
The latest insider information, reported by the UK’s Autocar, suggests that Mercedes-Benz has done an about-face, and will introduce an all-new, entry-level hatchback in 2028 to succeed the model – the name of which, while obvious at first glance, has not been reported.
The brand is not without a small-car platform, with the newly-announced CLA and upcoming GLA and GLB ‘compact’ SUVs all receiving new-generation models based on a fresh MMA platform that allows for petrol and electric power.
Unlike the current A-Class, which is offered as a five-door hatch and four-door sedan, Autocar suggests the A-Class successor may arrive as a hatchback only, with key platform dimensions like track width and wheelbase mirroring those of the next-generation GLA SUV.
The move appears to be driven by falling sales, which have seen Mercedes-Benz deliveries drop 6 per cent globally, driven largely by a 19 per cent drop in electric-car sales.
To counter the slide, the A-Class will provide much-needed production volume, and will ensure Mercedes–Benz retains a rival to cars like the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series.
The flexibility of the MMA platform ensures Mercedes-Benz can alter its line-up to suit the changing demand for hybrid or electric vehicles, and offer market-specific solutions throughout different regions around the world.
If the new A-Class follows the lead of the CLA, the range could be available with either a front-engined hybrid available in front- or all-wheel drive, as well as rear- and dual-motor electric variants.
While the future of the A-Class sedan remains less certain, the CLA four-door 'coupe' may be used as the compact sedan offering in markets with high sedan sales, such as China, despite the 4.72-metre-long CLA almost matching the 4.75m C-Class.
The current-generation A-Class made its production debut in 2018, and at seven years is currently due for replacement based on the model’s history.
Mercedes-Benz has already extended the life of the current model after pressure from its dealers, with it set to continue into 2028 when its replacement arrives.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
