EV & Mobility

Mercedes confirms next-generation GLA for Rastatt plant

Published on

July 17, 2026

Via ElectriveCora Werwitzke

Automobile

Mercedes confirms next-generation GLA for Rastatt plant

Mercedes-Benz will unveil the third generation of the GLA at the end of July. The compact SUV is set to transition to an electric-first line-up, with the battery-electric version launching this year and hybrid petrol variants following in 2027. According to a media report, production will remain at the Rastatt plant, a decision that was not considered certain amid the manufacturer's ongoing cost-cutting efforts.

According to Automobilwoche, citing company sources, the next-generation GLA will continue to be built at Mercedes-Benz’s Rastatt plant. Mercedes has sold its smallest SUV under the GLA name since 2013. Following a model update in 2020, the next generation is now set to debut.

The new GLA will be based on the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) and launch as an electric model, with petrol-hybrid variants to follow at a later stage. Its world premiere is scheduled for 29 July.

According to Automobilwoche, the launch of the new generation brings what the publication describes as ‘good news:’ the GLA will remain in Rastatt. Given the cost pressures currently facing Mercedes-Benz, continued production at the site was not considered a certainty.

The decision is nevertheless a logical one, as the new CLA, which is also based on the MMA platform, is already being produced at the plant. Both model lines will be offered in battery-electric and hybrid variants.

At Mercedes-Benz, the new GLA will effectively succeed two existing models: the combustion-engined GLA and the battery-electric EQA. Keeping production in Rastatt is expected to support capacity utilisation at the plant in the coming years.

According to Automobilwoche, the facility is designed for an annual output of around 200,000 vehicles. However, production of several compact models previously built there, including the A-Class and B-Class, is gradually being shifted to Hungary.

The CLA and GLA are set to become the cornerstone models of production in Rastatt. “The CLA is currently produced in three shifts and is in high demand,” Automobilwoche reports. “In Germany alone, 16,883 units were sold in the first half of the year.”

The new GLA is scheduled to launch this autumn and will join the production line in Rastatt. However, according to the report, Mercedes-Benz has not yet decided whether the successor to the A-Class, which is expected to serve as the brand’s future entry-level model, will also be allocated to the plant.

automobilwoche.de (in German)