New Car Launches

As the days inch closer to the Detroit Auto Show, more and more cars are beginning to reveal themselves. BMW and Chevrolet have already given us a sneak peak of their latest models and now it seems that Mercedes-Benz has done the same with their upcoming CLA model. While most of the news is provisional, what already know is quite revolutionary.

The tasteful photographs reveal a fresh look at the production version of the Mercedes A class based “swoopy coupe.” The new compact range has been highly camouflaged by Mercedes, but the company was unable to keep it all under the lid as 1/18 scale model and these pictures unravelled themselves earlier this week.

They show a car with a similar look to the Concept Style Coupe revealed at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, but with some additional touches found nowhere else. AutoCar suggest that the CLA adopted a less-flamboyant bumper system, as well as unique headlamp graphics. The dash follows the design of the A and B class’s interior, but this model will come with SLS inspired air vents and iPad-style display.

CarAdvice indicates that the car will be offered in both front and all-wheel drive, and will come with the same petrol and diesel engines found in the A-class, coming in 120bhp in the CLA180, 154bhp in CLA200, and 208bhp in the CLA250. The car will also come with smaller wheels and tyres than the 21-inch concept car shown in Beijing, and will measure345mm longer than the new Mercedes A-Class despite sharing the same chassis and driveline architecture.

Much like the C-Class, it’s set to rival the BMW 3-series, potentially expanding into a whole new area. Mercedes suggest that it will be a particularly in important range in the US, expecting to arrive in showrooms there in the middle of 2013 and cost around $40,000. While there is no news yet as to the sale and price in the UK, stay tuned to Nationwide Vehicle Contracts for the latest information.