Mercedes reveals new CLA 14 | 01 | 2013
MERCEDES HAS LIFTED the wraps from its eagerly-awaited four-door small coupe, the CLA, in Detroit. Positioned below the C-Class saloon, the CLA is expected to start at around £22,000 (see more official images of the new Mercedes CLA).
The CLA, which will make its first public outing at this week’s Berlin Fashion Week, is aimed at attracting a younger customer base for Mercedes.
A radar-based braking system, which will work between 4mph and 124mph, will come as standard. The CLA will also include more iPhone integration features, as well as Siri voice control.
There will be a choice of two petrol and one diesel engine, all of which come with stop-start technology.
Order books open in March, with dealers expected to receive their first deliveries in June.
Mercedes reveals Citan sales push
The 120bhp CLA 180 will be the entry model, followed by 208bhp CLA 250 and a 168bhp CLA 220CDI. A 349bhp CLA 45AMG will arrive later.
The CLA is 4630mm long, 1777mm wide and 1437mm tall, making it 40mm longer, 7mm wider and 43mm lower than the current C-class.
It's understood the next generation C-Class will grow dramatically as part of a significant realignment of the Mercedes line-up.
That, in turn, is in response to Mercedes' drive towards pursuing sales more aggressively in the world’s two largest markets, China and North America.
"This car gives us the chance to draw in a huge number of customers we didn't have access to before, especially in markets where the A-class isn't sold," Mercedes sales and marketing boss Joachim Schmidt said.
Mercedes E63 AMG photo leaked
"It will be the foundation if our future growth, appealing to Generation Y buyers and those young at heart.
"In particular, those Generation Y buyers will bring down the average age of our customers, and also most likely, be conquest customers from other brands. That is why CLA is do important to us and represents a cornerstone of our growth ambitions."
Among the CLA’s rivals will be the Volkswagen Jetta, soon-to-be-revealed Audi A3 saloon and a secret BMW 1-series saloon currently undergoing development and due for launch in 2015.
Scots F1 ace Paul di Resta eyes strong start to 2013
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/scotcars
Jim McGill