Mercedes is still trying to play catch up to the other two premium German automotive manufacturers playing in the same arenas globally. BMW led again in the month of March 2013 selling 191,269 units which includes both Mini and Rolls-Royce. Audi has for some time now been attempting to chase BMW but for the same period they managed to move 147,700 units, the difference is however closing slowly. Mercedes on the other hand is still lagging behind these two having sold 139,920 units globally. A major chunk of Mercedes sales come from the E-Class, the C-Class and now those numbers are being shored up by the new M-Class. Yet what Mercedes needs to get back its crown is a product that will bring them mass appeal. To achieve that goal Mercedes will need to make a massive play in Europe and the USA, two of its largest markets. But the company also foresees increasing demand in countries like India, targeting the upwardly mobile looking for an affordable prestige brand. Its why the upcoming CLA, an entry level sedan is so, so important for Mercedes.
What will set the CLA apart is that none of Mercedes’ rivals in India will have a sedan in the same segment. Yes the Audi A3 will come to India as well as the BMW 1 Series sedan but we assume Mercedes will enjoy first mover advantage.When launched the CLA will be positioned lower than the C-Class. It will be the most affordable car from the brand with the three-point star, cheaper we expect than the current B-Class even. Mercedes will achieve this by assembling the car here in India though we don’t expect them to localise any production, except for tyres and the battery.
Naturally you’d expect this to be a small sedan but you’d be surprised to know that the CLA is both longer and wider than the C-Class as you can see above. However it’s lower than the C in keeping with that dynamic coupe like design. Both cars also have almost the same boot space. The fact that it’s also a very handsome machine, much nicer to look at than anything Mercedes has to offer to India will also helps matters greatly. The swoopy CLA will definitely appeal to our buyers but what about the stuff that’s beneath the suave skin. We take a look.
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