Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 claims a Nürburgring benchmark for electric performance saloons

Mercedes-AMG has put the new fully electric CLA 45 4MATIC+ into the stopwatch conversation with a serious Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap.

Driven by Kevin Berger, the four-door saloon completed the 20.832-kilometre circuit in an officially measured and notarised 7:32.070, making it the fastest vehicle in its segment around the Green Hell.

That matters because this isn’t simply a big-power electric sprint machine, but a compact performance saloon using AMG’s latest motor, chassis, aero and energy-management thinking in one tightly integrated package.

At a glance

Three axial-flux motors reshape the AMG compact formula

The CLA 45 4MATIC+ is powered by three liquid-cooled axial-flux electric motors, with two mounted at the rear axle and one at the front.

Together they deliver up to 500 kW, or 680 hp, and launch the four-seater from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds.

AMG’s use of axial-flux technology is the headline here, as the CLA 45 becomes only the second fully electric production vehicle from Mercedes-AMG to feature it after the AMG GT 4-Door Coupé.

The layout also gives the car a more sophisticated approach to traction than simply dividing power front to rear.

The front motor works mainly as a booster when extra drive is needed, while the two rear motors allow individual torque distribution between the rear wheels.

The result is a newly developed AMG Performance 4MATIC+ system that can shift continuously between rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, depending on what the car and driver are asking for.

That matters on the Nordschleife, where the lap is less about one heroic straight-line number and more about sustaining confidence through compressions, kerbs, camber changes and high-speed direction changes.

Chassis tuning built around the Nordschleife’s punishment

For the lap, the CLA 45 4MATIC+ ran on Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres, chosen for grip and consistent behaviour over a hard lap.

It also used AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension, a steel-sprung setup with adaptive three-way adjustable damping.

The suspension uses multilink front and rear axles, with wheel-guiding components, springs and dampers revised over the Mercedes-Benz CLA to increase lateral grip while keeping the car manageable at the limit.

Drivers can choose Comfort, Sport and AMGFORCE S+ settings, giving the car a broad spread from road-biased compliance to its sharpest track configuration.

During a fast lap, damping force is adjusted at each wheel within milliseconds, helping the car stay settled over a circuit famous for exposing vague body control.

Berger set the lap in the RACE drive programme, which is part of the optional AMG DYNAMIC PLUS Package.

That mode is configured for circuit driving, combining more immediate accelerator response, sustained boost performance, firmer damping and reduced pitch and roll.

Active aero and energy management do the invisible work

The CLA 45 4MATIC+ also brings active aerodynamic hardware that plays a direct role in both stability and efficiency.

An active rear spoiler is used for the first time in this segment, changing its angle depending on the selected driving programme and driving conditions.

In RACE mode, the spoiler remains active throughout the lap, with its position influenced by parameters including longitudinal acceleration and the status of the active cooling shutters.

Those cooling shutters help direct airflow towards the underbody to cut front-axle lift, opening only when specific components require extra cooling.

The shutters can operate independently across eight stages and have been optimised to stay nearly closed at speeds of up to 250 km/h when cooling demand allows.

That detail shows how much of modern EV performance is about managing air, heat and energy rather than chasing one isolated peak figure.

The same logic applies to the Predictive Performance Manager, which analyses the circuit layout and distributes energy where it can make the biggest difference to lap time.

On a circuit as long and varied as the Nordschleife, the fastest approach isn’t necessarily maximum output everywhere.

It’s using full performance where it counts, preserving repeatability and avoiding the fade that can punish electric performance cars on long, demanding laps.

Details & Specifications

For AMG, the CLA 45 4MATIC+ record is a compact-saloon statement as much as an EV milestone.

It suggests the next phase of AMG performance will be defined less by engine character alone and more by how intelligently power, torque, cooling, aerodynamics and chassis systems are made to work together.