New hybrid GLA spied with an LED loop encircling its star-shaped rear lights
The CLA sedan Mercedes launched in March is just the first of a bunch of new small cars wearing the three-pointed star badge due to hit showrooms in the next five years. Two SUVs will also be spun off the same high-tech MMA platform, one being the next GLB and the other the GLA you see here.
Related: New Mercedes GLB Spied With A Wild Tail Light Design
Regular Carscoops readers might recall that our spy photo team already grabbed a few long-lens shots of the GLA in electric form. But this time they’ve snapped the hybrid variant of the baby SUV and managed to get right up next to it, revealing a few interesting details.
Hybrid vs Electric Cues
Though hybrid and EV GLAs share the same basic body, the electric model has a blanked off grille, while the combustion-engined crossover requires cooling slots to supply fresh air to its radiator. We can’t actually see the grille itself, but it’s likely to look similar to the new style unveiled earlier this month on the 2026 electric GLC at the Munich Motor Show.
This prototype also seems to be copying the GLC’s headlight treatment by placing a straight DRL strip above a star-shaped LED, but the rear lights look very different. Again, we’ve got star-design LEDs, but in this case they’re encircled by an LED loop that extends from the rear quarter panel on to the hatch, possibly stretching right across to the other side of the car. That detail, which could be a brake light, wasn’t evident on the shots of the GLA EV from August, though we’re convinced both production versions will have it.
As it did when testing the GLC, Mercedes’ R&D team has placed hard disguise under the camo wrap on both doors to try to obscure the body contours. It even looks like they’ve used it to create a fake rear light outline and a ridge below the rear window.
Zooming in on the images, we can see a sliver of the real panel at the shutline between the hatch and rear quarter, and the ridge isn’t there. Which makes sense, because it’s not on the GLC either.
Powertrain Options on the Horizon
The electric GLA is expected to arrive in 2026, and if it follows the template set by the CLA sedan, it will feature an 800-volt electrical system and deliver up to 349 hp (260 kW / 354 PS) in dual-motor, all-wheel-drive 350 4Matic form.
The hybrid versions, coming online in 2027, will take a different route. They will swap that setup for a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, a 1.3 kWh battery, 48-volt technology, and an electric motor that is integrated into an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Two-wheel drive versions could push 161 hp (163 PS) to the front wheels, while 4Matic trims should share 188 hp (190 PS) between both axles.
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Chris is a seasoned automotive journalist with over two decades of experience. He has worked… Read full bio

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