Mercedes-Benz has been vocal about its plans to bring the GLA compact SUV to India this year. The German automaker showcased the crossover vehicle at the 2014 Auto Expo, surprising everyone by bringing the production model on the show floor. GLA is one of Mercedes’ mini-crossovers, which was designed and launched in European countries to challenge the might of Audi Q3 and BMW X1. The GLA class had been one of those cars in the Mercedes’ stable which did not have any AMG models till now, though a preview was given at the Los Angeles Motor show in November 2013. It was released at the Detroit motor show in January 2014. The Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG in RHD specification has been imported into India for testing and homologation purpose, hinting that Mercedes-Benz India is targeting a festive season launch.
This seems to be a sync with what Mercedes-Benz India’s CEO Eberhard Kern said last week at the launch of ML63 AMG that there would be 6 further launches this year. Besides the new S-Class, the company has brought in two AMG models in 2014 – ML63 AMG and GL63 AMG – and the third AMG model, the CLA45 AMG confirmed to launch later this year.Mercedes India said the CLA 45 AMG’s launch would strengthen the AMG range and build up the compact car segment where it has two products already, the A- and B-Class. The same would hold true for the GLA45 AMG.
From the outside, the car looks stunning in all aspects. The exteriors of the vehicle has been given a sporty tweak to show that it is an AMG and it makes the car look a bit bold than it usually was in the regular avatar, from the outside it looks like a beefed up version of the A-Class . Compared to the everyday GLA the AMG variant receives a beefier body kit, quad exhaust, bigger wheels, gaping vents, muscular side skirting and aggressive bumpers. Customers also have the option to configure their GLA45 AMG with red brake calipers, carbon fiber package, interior carbon fiber trim and performance seats.
The GLA45 AMG uses a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine developing an impressive 360 Hp and 450 Nm. Power is transferred to all four wheels via the 4MATIC system (AWD) through an AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. The GLA45 takes 4.8 seconds for the 0-100 kmph run and boasts of an electronically gated top speed of 250 kph.
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