Mercedes-Benz conducted a side-impact crash test involving two moving CLA sedans to evaluate passenger protection and high-voltage battery integrity in a severe intersection collision.

In the test, a CLA with an electrified internal combustion engine struck the driver’s side of an all-electric CLA. Both vehicles were traveling at 35 mph, weighed more than 4,000 pounds, and entered the collision without braking, according to the automaker.

Passenger Compartments and Battery Remained Intact

Mercedes-Benz reported that the passenger compartments of both vehicles remained intact. The all-electric CLA’s high-voltage battery, housed in the underbody, also remained intact and undamaged despite the side impact.

The vehicles carried eight crash-test dummies representing four adults and four children. According to Mercedes-Benz, readings from all eight remained below the relevant biomechanical limits used to assess occupant protection, indicating a low risk of serious or life-threatening injuries in this test.

The company collected data from up to 150 measurement points per dummy to evaluate how the vehicles’ safety systems performed.

Testing a Severe Intersection Collision

Side-impact collisions leave less space to absorb crash energy than frontal impacts, placing particular demands on the passenger compartment and, in electric vehicles, the underbody battery.

Mercedes-Benz said its accident research places the test’s 35-mph speed for both vehicles at the upper end of comparable real-world intersection collisions. The company selected the scenario to examine protection under particularly challenging conditions.

The automaker said the test went beyond standard side-impact testing by using two moving production vehicles. It described the demonstration as the world’s first public high-speed side-impact crash test conducted in this configuration.

Crash Protection and Collision Prevention

The demonstration evaluated how the vehicles protected occupants during a collision. Mercedes-Benz said the CLA’s driver assistance systems are designed to help prevent this type of crash or reduce its severity in everyday driving, but the test was deliberately conducted without prior braking.

The company said its vehicle development process includes approximately 15,000 crash simulations and 150 physical crash tests for each new model. Findings from its real-world accident research also inform vehicle structures, restraint systems, and internal testing requirements.