Detroit motor show 2013: Mercedes-Benz CLA - updated gallery

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the veil on its eagerly awaited CLA, revealing a strikingly styled entry-level four-door coupé that’s set to the reach the UK in May.

The CLA is little changed visually from the well-received Concept Style Coupé, which was shown as a precursor to the new car early last year.

The CLA was revealed for the first time at a closed-door media reception prior to the Detroit motor show. The new model will enter the Mercedes line-up beneath the C-class at a starting price of about £25,000, or £3000 above corresponding A-class models.

The first public outing for the CLA will be at this week’s Berlin Fashion Week, where it is set to play a prominent role as part of a broad-based marketing campaign that intends to see the CLA projected into a new segment for Mercedes.

Sales and marketing boss Joachim Schmidt said: "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. 

"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.

Developed under the internal codename C117, the CLA is the third model to be based on Mercedes’ new modular front-wheel-drive platform. It follows on from the second-generation B-class and third-generation A-class, with which it shares its mechanical package, electric architecture and interior appointments. 

Unlike the more traditionally styled C-class, with its longitudinally mounted engines and rear-wheel drive, the CLA uses a transverse engine and front-drive layout. Selected models will also be offered with optional 4Matic four-wheel drive in the UK, including a yet-to-be-revealed CLA45 AMG range-topper that packs a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 349bhp.

Inspiration for the new Mercedes saloon can be traced to the larger CLS, with which the CLA shares its heavily sculptured exterior design. Mercedes design boss Gorden Wagener describes the new car as a “design rebel” and suggests that its exterior will influence the look of future models, including the mechanically identical GLA junior off-roader set to be launched later this year. 

At 4630mm in length, 1777mm in width and 1437mm in height, the CLA is 40mm longer, a scant 7mm wider and 43mm lower than the existing C-class. However, the C-class is set to grow dramatically in its next incarnation as part of a significant realignment of the Mercedes line-up brought about by a decision to pursue sales more aggressively in the world’s two largest markets, China and North America.

Mercedes is talking up the aerodynamic properties of its sleek new entry-level saloon. It claims an overall drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.22 for an upcoming CLA180 BlueEfficiency Edition model that will go on sale in some markets from June, although its UK launch has yet to be confirmed. Its 0.22 Cd represents a record for a series-production car. Regular models have a Cd of 0.23.