2013 Detroit - Mercedes-Benz unveils CLA, the style rebel

Competition may be working on different strategies, but Mercedes-Benz has one motive that's common across all its regional entities. And that is to leapfrog BMW and Audi and return to the top of the luxury segment, a position that it was forced to relinquish a few years back. As we already posted, Mercedes-Benz was pinning its hopes on the success of it's brand-new "Modular Front Architecture" (MFA Platform) to start its resurgence. If the recent developments are any indication, it looks like this new front wheel drive platform has caught on with the public and started yielding results.

Both the models launched out of the MFA Platform, the B-Class and the A-Class, have met with a tremendous response in most markets, with the latter even breaking a few sales records on the way. Hoping to cash in on the momentum and continue its winning streak, Mercedes-Benz has just unleashed the third weapon from its MFA arsenal, the CLA-Class, that it refers as 'the style rebel'. You can call it a four-door coupe or an entry-level sedan as you wish.

Having stunned the onlookers and the media as "Concept Style Coupe" in China last year, the CLA, in production form, is making its first official appearance on the floors of the ongoing 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Nine years after pioneering the 'four-door coupe' design with the CLS at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz is now spreading the theme down its model range with the CLA. This compact sedan will be competing with the sedan variants of BMW 1-Series and Audi A3, both of which are still under development.

Referring to the all-new CLA, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management for Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars said, "The response to the Concept Style Coupe was overwhelming. The most frequent comment by far was 'Please put this car into series production.' That's precisely what we are doing now. The CLA is a car that does not confuse 'mid-size' with 'mid-quality'. Its sporty design underscores the sporty side of the Mercedes-Benz brand." Obviously, the head honchos at Daimler sound excited at the CLA's prospects and we can easily understand why.

With a striking design that's filled with swoops and streaks, the CLA boasts of the hugely-successful and highly-copied 'coupe' roof-line. The long hood, the short and stubby boot, the muscular C-Pillar and the character lines that run across the length of the car gives the CLA an athletic profile. The intricately-detailed headlight clusters and the 'diamond-effect' grille, combined with split air dams, gives the car an aggressive stance when viewed head-on. At the rear, the flowing roof-line and the leaflet-shaped taillight clusters steal the show. The best part about the CLA's design is that it not only looks good, but is also extremely efficient with a Coefficient of Drag of just 0.23, which is a record for all series-production vehicles.

The interiors are not vastly different from other members of the Mercedes family, which means you get the same chunky steering wheel, the same circular air-conditioner vents, the tablet-like central information display and the trademark 'tank-like' build quality. Apart from the regular list of safety features, the CLA will also come with 'Attention Assist' drowsiness detection feature, a radar-based 'Collision Prevention Assist' with 'Brake Assist', 'Blind Spot Assist', 'Lane Keeping Assist' and the 'PARKTRONIC' system with 'Advance Parking Assist' that enables autonomous parking in parallel and perpendicular parking spaces. Now, that's what you call an exhaustive list.

Expected to come with an array of engines, transmissions and drivetrain options to choose from, including a new generation of 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive system, the CLA is all set to achieve stardom across global markets, including India where it is scheduled for launch after the A-Class. With Mercedes-Benz hurling its weapon at them, it will be interesting to look at how BMW and Audi are going to respond. It's going to be a cracker of a contest, we are sure!