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New Mercedes-Benz CLA with AMG Package Filmed in Barcelona

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Whereas in the U.S., most gearheads are on the lookout for the 2014 Corvette Stingray, across the Atlantic, it's the new Mercedes-Benz CLA compact sports saloon that is garnering a lot of attention lately.

Mercedes, which seems to have a soft spot for Spain when it comes to filming, photographing and hosting media events for its latest cars, brought the CLA to Barcelona, and as luck would have it, YouTube channel owner "WillLillo", was in the right place at the right time with his camera set to record mode.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

One of Mercedes-Benz's most important new models of the year is without doubt the CLA. Not only because it is the brand's first front-wheel drive saloon, but also because it lowers the entry price to the three-pointed star to around $30k in the U.S.

Short of actually driving the car, we know everything about the new CLA. Based on the MFA platform, it boasts a world-leading aerodynamic coefficient of 0.23 (0.22 in the BlueEFFICIENCY C180) and will launch with a 207HP turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the U.S. and a broader engine range in other markets.

Monday, January 21, 2013

There are 75 million 30- to 40-year old consumers in the U.S. right now and, according to Mercedes-Benz USA head of marketing Bernie Glaser, “they have big expectations for products and brands”.

The problem for automakers like Mercedes, Audi and BMW is that these buyers are not able and/or willing to pay the US$40,000 sticker price attached to premium vehicles. Yet they want to have their cake and eat it, too – or, as Glaser puts it, demand “attractive styled cars and the right technology”.

One way to attract those buyers is to lower the entry price: only last week, BMW announced that, starting this spring, it will offer a 320i sedan priced at US$33,445 (including destination) – that’s US$4,300 cheaper than today’s entry-level 328i.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Here’s what we already know about the new Mercedes-Benz CLA: it’s a four-door sports sedan based on the A-Class’ MFA front-wheel drive platform, with the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system being available as an option.

It sits between the A- and C-Class in the automaker’s line-up but is slightly longer than the latter. It has a production car aerodynamic record with a Cd of just 0.23 and it will launch with a 207HP turbocharged 2.0-liter four-banger in the U.S. and a wider range of gasoline and diesel engines in Europe and other markets.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

You've probably already seen it before on more than one occasion, but this time, it is Mercedes-Benz that has released images and specs on its brand new entry in the executive compact sedan segment named the CLA.

It is the less impressive- but still sexy-looking production version of last year's Concept Style Coupé (CSC) sports sedan that transfers the four-door coupe styling of the CLS into a smaller package with a similar footprint as the C-Class.

The swoopy looking CLA will sit between the A-Class hatchback and the C-Class sedan, in terms of pricing, features and specifications, which means that it should start from around $30,000 in the States, with exact pricing to be announced closer to launch in September.

Mercedes describes the slippery-shaped CLA as a "styling rebel" adding that the car's drag coefficient of just 0.23 sets a "new world record in aerodynamics for series production automobiles".

There's another internet sighting of Mercedes-Benz's worst kept secret of the year, the new CLA compact "four-door coupe", again of the regular model in AMG trim guise.

In addition to the leaked image, Mercedes-Benz itself released a teaser photo of the CLA during filming for its first TV spot that that will debut during the fourth quarter of the year's biggest night in U.S. television advertising, the Super Bowl XLVII on February 3.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

While Mercedes-Benz is trying to keep a tight hold on the upcoming CLA compact sports saloon, having only released bits and pieces of information along with pictures and videos of camouflaged prototypes, we've already had the opportunity to see official photos of the car.

If that wasn't enough, now, pictures of what is said to be a 1/18 scale a die-cast model of the new CLA have surfaced on the internet!

Monday, December 24, 2012

While some people are enjoying Christmas Eve with their families, others are busy posting on forums and leaking official shots of new cars like the Mercedes-Benz CLA compact saloon.

A total of five images of the new Mercedes entry-level sedan including three of the exterior and two of the interior made their way online.

As was the case with the revealing CLA scoops in Iceland this past September, the car pictured here is a regular model fitted with Mercedes' AMG exterior and interior styling packages and not the CLA 45 AMG, which will feature a similar aero kit but will do away with the "diamond" front grille.

Being that it will be the first member of Mercedes-Benz's extended family of A-Class-based compact models to be offered in the States, the CLA is anticipated to make its world premiere on this side of the Atlantic, possibly as early as next month's Detroit Motor Show.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

For many years, 4MATIC has been Mercedes-Benz’s designation for its all-wheel drive models, from the C- to the CL-Class and of course its ever-growing portfolio of SUVs.

Despite the common name, the German manufacturer offered no less than four different AWD systems, depending on the model and its customers’ needs – i.e., a G-Wagen has a different system than a CLS.

Monday, December 3, 2012

According to the crew over at the German-language Mercedes-Benz Passion website, the brand with the star has shared a multitude of pictures and a video of the upcoming CLA compact sports saloon ahead of the car's world premiere at the Detroit motor show in mid-January next year. Read more »

U Spy: Mercedes-Benz's Slinky CLA Sports Sedan Nabbed in Hungary

Monday, November 5, 2012

We mean it when we say it’s always a pleasure to host scoop pictures from you, our readers, and we feel especially honored when CarScoopers like Andor I. from the picturesque city of Budapest in Hungary select our site to send in their very first spy shots.

The prototype spotted by Andor is the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA compact sports sedan, or if you prefer, Stuttgart's "baby" CLS with a smaller footprint, but also a much smaller price tag than the brand's original four-door coupe.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Another camouflaged version of Mercedes-Benz's upcoming CLA 45 AMG sports saloon has entered the field of our spy photographer's lens.

You can think of the CLA 45 AMG as the poor man's (or so to speak) CLS 63 AMG, as it will offer respectable performance in a smaller package and at a much lower price. In fact, it will be the cheapest AMG offering for North American buyers (Europeans will also have the option of the lower-priced A 45 AMG).

Thursday, October 11, 2012

A year ago, Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche sent a letter to his employees claiming that the three-point star brand must regain the top spot that it lost in 2005 in the premium segment.

“We are Daimler – we should be ahead of the pack!” proclaimed Zetsche who added at the time that in no way should they “be content with a solid second or even third place”.

Unfortunately, Mercedes’ global domination plan doesn’t seem to bear fruit. If anything, the company has fallen even further behind BMW and Audi, which are the number one and two premium carmakers in the world respectively.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

For the past year or so, spy photographers have been following Mercedes-Benz engineers all over the world to capture a glimpse of the brand's upcoming CLA premium compact sedan, or as the Germans are likely to describe the car in their press material, a four-door coupe.

Naturally, the brand with the shining star has always been careful to keep the prototype and pre-production models of the CLA well hidden under foil wraps and plenty of plastic cladding.

However, with the official presentation of the CLA coming closer every day, at some point, Mercedes-Benz had to remove the camo to complete the necessary photo and video shoots that always take place in remote locations. Little did they know that when they did, someone would be out there to capture the production car in its…birthday suit.

That someone was Bernhard Kohlmeier who was vacationing with his family in Iceland at the Northern Light Inn situated within walking distance of the famed Blue Lagoon (more on Bernhard's experience and first thoughts on the car's looks after the jump).

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

One of the most eagerly anticipated new Mercedes-Benz models is the CLA, which is the toned down, production version of the Concept Style Coupé (CSC) presented to the world this past spring.

In the months following the debut of the concept, we saw several prototype models including the performance orientated CLA 45 AMG variant, but all of them were heavily disguised.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Not too long ago, we reported on the upcoming Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG hot hatchback. Now, we have the first photos of its more spacious and larger sedan sibling, the stylish CLA 45 AMG.

Even though the Stuttgart automaker's engineers went crazy with the black camo, some visual identifiers separate the AMG model from the regular CLA variants including, the massive brake discs behind the larger five-spoke alloys and the reprofiled side sills.

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Audi Q3 and BMW X1 will soon have a rival from Stuttgart in the premium compact crossover segment as Mercedes-Benz officially confirmed the development of an A-Class-based SUV.

Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche made the announcement during a conference at Mercedes' Rastatt plant in Germany on the start of production of the revamped A-Class hatchback.

"This start of production marks a further milestone in our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy. The A-Class represents our offensive in the compact segment," said Zetsche. "And there is more to come: The compact SUV will be the third model we will build here in Rastatt."

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The next model to join Mercedes-Benz's expanded family of compact cars after the new five-door A-Class and the minivan-like B-Class will be the production version of the impressive looking Concept Style Coupé (CSC) sports sedan seen earlier this year that we will come to know as the CLA.

Our spy photographers spotted Mercedes-Benz engineers testing a camouflaged prototype of the CLA at the Nürburgring track.

Monday, June 4, 2012

We will have to wait until next year to find out how the Concept Style Coupé (CSC) will look like in final production trim on the road, but eagle-eyed Carscoop reader Omar A. was alert and ready to snap a few shots when a prototype of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA passed right by him on the busy streets of Dubai.

It is not uncommon for Mercedes-Benz to test upcoming models in the United Arab Emirates with our readers having scooped several models in the past such as the SLK roadster.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The sporty looking compact sedan we initially came to know as the Mercedes-Benz CLC before the Stuttgart automaker's design boss Gorden Wagener revealed that it would be named the CLA, has been caught once again by our spies in Germany.

Hidden under all that black camouflage is the toned down, production version of the well-received Concept Style Coupé (CSC), which Mercedes-Benz showed less than a month ago.