The star of Mercedes-Benz's Auto China 2013 in Shanghai, the new GLA Concept, was officially unveiled today, following a premature release of photos and initial information on Wednesday.
It represents Stuttgart's vision of a compact off-roader built on the underpinnings of its A-Class hatchback to compete against the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, with the company's CEO Dieter Zetsche having already confirmed that the production model will be released in a few months' time at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in September before it goes on sale next year.
"The Concept GLA marks a new approach for us in the compact SUV segment – this is a sporty and more coupé-like evolution of this category of vehicle," commented Mercedes Cars Executive Vice President, Joachim Schmidt. "The Concept GLA is a compact SUV that combines its sporting spirit with the all-round qualities of a tough, leisure-time companion. 'Escape the everyday' is the message that this car conveys to its driver," he added.
Riding on the same front- and all-wheel drive MFA architecture as the A-Class hatch and CLA compact premium sedan, the GLA is 4.38 meters (172.4 inches) long, 1.97 meters (77.6 inches) wide and 1.57 meters (61.8 inches) tall, with a 2,690mm (105.9 inches) wheelbase.
The overall sense we get from the study is that of a beefed up A-Class hatch with plenty of SUV references like the roof rails and metal skid plates under the bumpers, a more blunt front end, and more muscular fenders. The same applies to the interior, where with the exception of the use of more flashy materials and trims, the only other significant difference over the hatch is the newly styled instrument panel. As one would expect, both the exterior and interior styling of the car will be toned down a notch or two when it enters the production phase.
As a concept, the GLA also introduces a raft of features that we won't be seeing on the showroom floor model, including the laser-beam projectors encompassed in the headlamps, which not only provide the light to drive by, but as pointed out by Mercedes, "are also capable of projecting pictures or films onto a screen or other surface".
For its motivation, the GLA borrows the A250's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that’s good for 208hp (211PS), paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch 7G-DCT transmission and 4MATIC all-wheel drive. Naturally, the production GLA will offer more engine and transmission choices (both diesel and petrol), with the range to be topped off by the GLA 45 AMG producing well over 300 horses.
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