Rastatt is about to get exactly what it has been missing for years — a new model that can actually fill its empty production lines. On July 17, Automobilwoche reported, citing sources inside the group, that the next-generation compact GLA crossover will stay at the German plant, despite persistent talk of moving production elsewhere.
The new GLA will switch to the Mercedes Modular Architecture platform, the same one already underpinning the CLA. A fully electric version will reach the market first, and only in 2027 will petrol hybrids join it. That sequence might look odd at first glance, but it signals something bigger: Mercedes is betting on electric power even in a segment long dominated by combustion engines. The unveiling is set for July 29, 2026 — not far off now.
The electric GLA will close two chapters at once: it replaces the current EQA and pushes out the hybrid versions of the outgoing GLA generation. Coincidence? Hardly — more like a calculated move. The new model is expected to help the plant, built for roughly 200,000 cars a year, finally run at proper capacity.
While this reshuffle plays out in Rastatt, A-Class and B-Class production is gradually being wound down and shifted to Hungary. The new GLA joins the line this autumn, right next to the CLA, which is already running on a three-shift schedule at the plant.
