Future electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz will feature the same three-pointed LED daytime running lights as the Concept CLA in what the carmaker says will become a key design signature.
The new DRLs of the Concept CLA are located within the circular headlights and the taillights. The concept also premiered with an array of illuminated graphics in place of the front grille and all of these lighting features will be present on the next-generation CLA, as well as the three other compact models to use the carmaker’s MMA platform.
While recently speaking with Autocar about the concept, Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener said “pretty much everything” about it will carry through to the production model, likening the new DRLs with exhaust pipes.
Read: Mercedes CLA Concept Debuts With Sleek Design And 466+ Mile Electric Range
“Iconic elements like the new daytime running lights, the star – that’s a new signature for Mercedes and it’s very cool,” he said. “It’s a new electric exhaust: electric cars obviously don’t have one, and for customers having good pipes is always great, so these are the new pipes.”
Mercedes-Benz’s long-awaited rival to the Tesla Model 3 will hit the market as a 2025 model and be the first of the brand’s models based on the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA). Other models to use this platform will be the next-generation Mercedes EQA and EQB.
Wagener added that it wants to create EVs that are “iconic” and vehicles that have an identity, unlike many of the faceless cars currently on the market.
“What’s crucial for us is being iconic,” he said. “We want to make a difference to the sea of sameness, all these faceless cars that have no identity. We want to stick out of that with iconic features, and with Mercedes we have all the possibilities to do so. Everything we do is along our design philosophy of central purity. So that’s a significant style for a luxury brand similar to the style of Chanel.”
