Mercedes-AMG has taken its fully electric CLA 45 4MATIC+ around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:32.070 minutes, and is calling it a class record. Both halves of that sentence are true, and the second half needs an asterisk.
The lap
Kevin Berger set the time on 28 July 2026 over the full 20.832-kilometre configuration, in summer conditions — 24 °C ambient, 30 °C track — and on the car's first attempt. The time was officially measured and notarised.
The car ran the optional AMG DYNAMIC PLUS package, which includes the RACE program used for the lap and raises top speed to 270 km/h, on Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres and AMG RIDE CONTROL adaptive damping.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Lap time | 7:32.070 |
| Power | 500 kW (680 PS) |
| Motors | Three axial-flux — two rear, one front |
| Battery | 94 kWh usable |
| 0–100 km/h | 2.7 s (1-foot rollout) |
| Range | Over 670 km saloon, 640 km Shooting Brake |
| Top speed | 270 km/h with DYNAMIC PLUS |
Sales start in August 2026.
About that record
The CLA 45 is the first record-holder in a Nürburgring class that did not exist before: "Electric Compactcars". Being first in a new category is not the same achievement as beating an established field, and it is worth being clear that no electric compact was displaced to set this time.
The comparison that puts the lap in context is with combustion rivals in the same size bracket, where the CLA 45 sits well but not at the top. It is quicker than a BMW M2 around the Nordschleife; it remains slower than the M2 CS, which has lapped in 7:25.5. Against heavier, more powerful electric performance cars the CLA 45's time is genuinely strong — Polish coverage placed it ahead of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N.
So the fair summary is that AMG has built a compact electric saloon that laps the Nordschleife in the same territory as serious combustion performance cars, while carrying a 94 kWh battery and offering more than 670 km of range. That is the impressive part, and it does not need the record framing to stand up.
Why the powertrain is the story
Three axial-flux motors is the detail that will outlive the lap time. Axial-flux machines are shorter and denser than the radial-flux motors almost every production EV uses, which is why they have mostly appeared in low-volume hypercars. Putting three of them in a compact saloon that goes on sale this month moves the technology into a segment where cost matters.
The 2.7-second 0–100 km/h figure uses the 1-foot rollout method, which is the American drag-strip convention and shaves roughly a tenth off a standing-start measurement. Expect European instrumented tests to report slightly slower.
What it means for European buyers
The practical read is that a 500 kW compact AMG now comes with genuine long-distance range rather than the range penalty that performance EVs have traditionally charged. Whether the segment wants a 680 PS compact saloon at all is the harder question, and one that Europe's premium brands are currently getting mixed answers to.