An 85.0 kWh nickel-magnesium-cobalt battery promises 657 km of WLTP range in the all-electric variants.
Mercedes-Benz has rebuilt its smallest SUV from the platform up. Two electric variants. One new hybrid. US dealers get stock in the second half of 2027. The old GLA is done.
The 2028 GLA's electrification is not an incremental revision — it is a wholesale platform change at the volume end of Mercedes-Benz's SUV lineup, where the brand faces the sharpest competition from Chinese OEMs now entering Europe. According to Mercedes-Benz's official product announcement, published July 2025, the GLA becomes the first entry-level Mercedes SUV offered with a dedicated EV powertrain rather than a mild-hybrid overlay. The outgoing 2026 GLA 250 started at $42,850 in the United States; the new generation is expected to open around the mid-$40,000s.
Two Electric Variants, One Battery, Three Numbers That Matter
Both EV versions share the same 85.0 kWh usable battery — a nickel-magnesium-cobalt chemistry Mercedes-Benz has not previously deployed in the GLA class. The GLA 250+ Electric produces 268 hp. The GLA 350 4Matic Electric produces 349 hp. That is a 30.2 percent power premium for the dual-motor variant. Mercedes quotes 657 km of WLTP range for the GLA 250+ — a figure that deserves scrutiny, since WLTP results typically run 20–25 percent above real-world highway figures. A conservative adjustment puts usable range closer to 490–525 km. The GLA 350 4Matic hits 96 km/h in 5.3 seconds. Wheelbase grows by 60.9 mm to 2,789 mm overall, and rear-seat legroom increases by 38 mm — meaningful in a class where sub-2,800 mm wheelbases have long been the packaging ceiling. This fits the broader European premium segment expansion that began reshaping compact SUV proportions after 2010.
Hybrid Horsepower: What Mercedes Has Not Said
The hybrid powertrain is built around a newly developed turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder mated to an electric motor integrated inside a new eight-speed electrified dual-clutch transmission. Mercedes-Benz confirmed in its July 2025 product release that two output levels will be offered — but declined to publish horsepower or torque figures for either. That omission is unusual for a production-confirmed model less than twelve months from its US on-sale window. The outgoing GLA 250 used a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit producing 221 hp, so the new 1.5-litre must close a meaningful displacement gap through hybridisation alone. No hybrid range or fuel-consumption figure has been published either. Mercedes-Benz's press office had not responded to a request for clarification on those figures as of the date of this article. The gap matters commercially: the hybrid is likely to be the volume seller in markets where charging infrastructure remains uneven, including several Central and Eastern European territories.
GLA Electric vs The Compact EV Field
At the expected mid-$40,000 US entry price, the GLA 250+ Electric will compete directly against the BMW iX1 xDrive30, which starts at $46,100 and delivers 313 hp from a 64.7 kWh battery — a smaller pack producing more power but offering less range on the WLTP cycle. The Zeekr X, which outscored the Volvo EX30 in Euro NCAP testing, enters the compact EV space from a different cost structure entirely, with Chinese OEMs undercutting German list prices by 15–25 percent in Western European markets, according to ACEA registration data, published February 2025. Mercedes-Benz is not competing on price at this tier. It is betting the GLA's 657 km WLTP figure — roughly 100 km above the iX1's quoted ceiling — combined with the brand's dealer network in North America and Western Europe, is sufficient to defend share without a price reduction. That calculation will be tested in late 2027.
Platform Shift, Not a Facelift: What the Spec Sheet Confirms
Mercedes-Benz's product specification document, released July 29 2025, identifies the 2028 GLA as a new-generation vehicle rather than a mid-cycle update, a classification that carries internal consequences for amortisation timelines and supplier contracts. The document confirms the EV variants use a distinct front-end design: a chrome-framed illuminated grille surround replaces the radiator star grille retained on the hybrid. The body sits 20.3 mm lower than the outgoing model, the rear track widens by 30.5 mm, and wheel options run from 18 to 20 inches. The specification sheet does not confirm a performance AMG variant — AMG Line is listed as a cosmetic package, not a powertrain tier. Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, has previously stated in the company's 2024 Annual Report, section 3.2, that the MMA architecture underpinning this generation is designed for scalability across segments, with electrification as the default configuration from launch rather than an added-on variant.
US Dealers, Pricing Uncertainty, and a Late-2027 Clock
Mercedes-Benz confirmed the 2028 GLA will begin reaching United States dealers in the second half of 2027 as a model-year 2028 unit. No pricing has been disclosed. The gap between confirmation and pricing announcement is long enough to create hesitation among fleet procurement managers at corporate leasing firms, particularly given tariff uncertainty currently affecting German imports. US tariffs on European vehicles reached 25 percent, a levy that directly compresses Mercedes-Benz's margin on US-bound GLA units unless production is restructured. The GLA is currently built in Rastatt, Germany and in Beijing under a joint venture with BAIC. It is not confirmed which production source will supply the US market for the 2028 model. That decision has a direct bearing on the final sticker price. Mercedes-Benz has not answered that question publicly. For context, Kia's UK EV operation, which crossed 100,000 units sold, has already flagged mandate pace as commercially unrealistic — the regulatory pressure shaping every OEM's volume projections for 2027–2028.
The 2028 GLA will be the fourth generation of the nameplate since its 2013 debut. Mercedes-Benz produced approximately 200,000 GLA units globally in 2023, according to the company's Production and Sales Statistics report, published January 2024. The AMG 45-badged variant of the outgoing generation will not carry forward in confirmed form. Watch the mid-$40,000 opening price. The complete Mercedes-Benz model history and specifications are catalogued in the Global Auto Index manufacturer database.
