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.
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Overdrive
Not sure about this
Those headlights look huge, almost like insect eyes. Also, I'm starting to get really confused about all these different saloon, coupe, four door coupe merc models.
Rods
Didn't like the earlier spy shots...
they seemed to make the car ungainly. But these official pics look fab to my eyes; i think this will look great in the metal.
However, the model's positioning is a little confusing for me. It seems too close to the C Class, which will undoubtedly take a massive hit in sales due to this new CLA. Still, I guess the bean-counters know what they're doing...
Zedboy
Backside ....
.... Looks a dead ringer for a C5 from behind - dull
jonboy4969
Looks nothing like a C5, you
Looks nothing like a C5, you need to pop to specsavers...LOL
Zedboy
Version control needed soon.....
So we can track of all these versions. They will be very colour and wheel sensitive too.....should see some right mingers fresh from launch. Makes me think salesmen should have the right of veto. A colleague of mine ordered a 'flat red' SE c-class with tan interior and special order 16" wheels. Unsaleable on the secondhand market for sure?
Lanehogger
Disappointing
"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" Everything has changed from the concept car - that car's stunning sleek and taut coupe styling has been lost and what we've ended up with is basically a normal A-Class saloon with styling that is fussy, incoherent and ill-proportioned. We were led to believe that the CLA name was a giveaway, a smaller CLS. It's nothing like a 4 door coupe.
lonegoose
Agree with the above
Just looks like an A-class with a boot. And I wish they'd stop putting incoherent creases all over the side of their cars. (I can do that myself!)
geed
the really have made a balls
the really have made a balls up of evolving the original and stunning CLS design language. The new CLS is pure chinze and this appears to follow suit
Lanehogger
geed wrote: the really have
The current design language from Mercedes, which began with the current M Class, really is resulting in some disappointing looking cars. I hate to think what the S-Class will look like. Worst of all is that we'll have to put up with this styling theme until the next generation of Mercs appear around 2018!
catnip
Lanehogger wrote: geed
Yet one of Mercedes' styling guys was quoted in an article on here as saying the new S Class was going to go for a simpler, more elegant look, without fanciful styling lines (!). This would presumably mean they're planning a complete change of direction. I hope they are: This car just looks plain ugly to me. The styling is all over the place, its far too complicated.
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