Mercedes-Benz is very much on the path to reach the numero uno position in the luxury car market in India and it has chosen to do so by launching a product onslaught. The company has been bringing car at lower price points which include the A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks. Joining them in 2014 will be the smallest and cheapest SUV from the company, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLA crossover. The Company released the official sketches of the SUV recently. The GLA will go up against the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 when it hits the roads globally. The car is expected to make its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show later this year.
The company showcased a concept version of the car at the Shanghai Auto Show back in April 2013 and the Frankfurt Motor Show will play host to the production version of the car. The GLA crossover’s sketches suggest that it will look quite similar to its concept version with little tweaks coming in here and there. It will look like a grown up version of an A-Class and is expected to come with similar interiors as the hatchback sibling.
The GLA crossover will come with a front wheel drive layout. The underpinnings will be the same as its sibling A-Class and it will be based on the company’s MFA platform. The concept car measured 4,440mm in length, 1,800mm in width and is 1,500mm in height. The production variant of the car is expected to have dimensions similar to the concept. The wheelbase of the concept was 2,700 mm which will account for quite a spacious car on the inside if the same is carried on to the production spec car.
Under the hood of the car will be a choice of four engines: two petrol and two diesel motors. The petrol motors will displace 1.6 litres and 2.0 litres while the diesel units will be displacing 1.8 litres and 2.1 litres. The top end variants will come shod with the much famed 4Matic all-wheel drive system which is present in all the cars that are built on the MFA platform. The pricing will play a key role in determining the success of this crossover, but we do believe that Mercedes-Benz will be pricing the crossover pretty aggressively.
