Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class 2014 News

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of automotive recalls, with models from Citroen, Holden, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi and Peugeot affected.

Last year the vehicle market notched up a record with 1,136,227 sales, busting the previous zenith by about 24,000 and confirming that in Australia, one million-plus is the norm.Figures for November, released last week, show sales have already passed the million mark, and when the final tally emerges in early January the industry will congratulate itself on another bumper year.In reality, it has spent most of 2014 in reverse and it would take a freak December to even approach last year's total.If the trend holds, then the overall decline will be about 2 per cent - equivalent to 500 fewer buyers a week. But it's a mixed picture for the 50 or so brands, with the gap between winners and losers larger than ever.With one or two exceptions, the winners by a substantial margin are luxury brands. Their share of the market now approaches 9 per cent, up from 7.7 per cent last year, and it's reflected in some impressive numbers.The German luxury trio dominates but Australia bucks the trend by favouring Mercedes-Benz ahead of BMW and Audi.With its small car range - the A, B, CLA and GLA - flying out of showrooms, the three-pointed star is stretching its lead over BMW and rubs it in by selling more of its expensive performance variants as well.Its bestseller, the C-Class, has been available for only a few months but will finish the year as the third most popular mid-size car at any price - behind only the Toyota Camry and Mazda6.Audi's ambition is to overtake its German peers and become No 1 here, replicating its position in Europe and China. After slowing in 2012, its growth spurt has resumed and it's catching BMW on the strength of its award-winning A3 small car.Some of the second-tier luxury brands are powering ahead even faster. Thanks to its new-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, demand for the British SUV specialist is up 22 per cent. It will finish as the fourth most popular luxury marque.Ironically, SUV demand is also powering Porsche. It cannot get enough of its second SUV, the Macan, and waiting times are stretching the patience of buyers. Without the Macan, Porsche was on track for a record. With it, sales are up almost 50 per cent. When Maserati adds an SUV, the Levante, in 2016 it can expect to get a comparable boost.Super-large, super-expensive SUVs are what the elite badges lack but they are all working on one. Even so, Maserati's push for volume is yielding results. The new-generation large sedans Ghibli and Quattroporte have almost tripled sales this year.Even among the luxury brands there are losers. Volvo lacks the deep pockets of the Germans and is struggling to keep its product pipeline full. Its dealers will doubtless breathe easier when the overdue replacement for its XC90 SUV arrives in the second quarter next year, with sales down 7 per cent in 2014.Lexus is another that has waited too long for fresh product and its NX mid-size SUV arrives too late to prevent it treading water.Among mainstream brands, losers are much easier to find than winners. Over-optimism and the pressure to grow meant many ended 2013 carrying too much stock, with Nissan the standout - but far from sole - example.The traditional solution to this problem, and one by no means limited to mainstream brands, is for the distributor and/or dealers to register cars themselves.It's a way of meeting sales targets but it simply saves up trouble, not the least of which is an excess of ageing 'demonstrator' models that sooner or later have to actually be sold. When they are, the sales have already been counted.Combine that with an assault on their traditional territory by the luxury brands and everyone from Toyota to Honda, Holden to Ford, has seen their numbers go south.But the biggest losers in 2014? Cheap Chinese brands, with Chery sales down 35 per cent and Great Wall almost 60 per cent.

Mercedes-Benz has changed its plans for adding a CLA250 to the local line-up. The German prestige brand had originally confirmed we’d get the two-wheel drive version in March, but has now switched to the all-wheel drive 4MATIC – although there’ll be a few extra months to wait for it.Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson, Jerry Stamoulis told Carsguide the opportunity to get the 4MATIC had only recently arisen. “When we announced the CLA pricing back in October last year the 4MATIC wasn’t available to us and so we only had the option of two wheel drive,” Stamoulis said “Recently we were informed that we could take the 4MATIC and due to the cost of only a $1500 increase we decided to go for the 4MATIC.”Mercedes has confirmed that the CLA 250 Sport 4MATIC will be sold in Australia from July, joining with another incoming variant to raise the line-up to four. Currently the CLA range consists of the CLA 200, priced from $49,900, and the tarmac-eating 265kw CLA45 AMG, priced from $86,900.Next month the CLA 200 CDI will land on our shores, packing a frugal 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces 100kW of power and 300Nm of torque. Priced from $50,400, the CLA200 CDI can return a combined fuel consumption figure of 4.7 litres per 100km.When it lands here in July, the CLA250 will be priced from $64,900. It is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that sends 155kW and 350Nm through Mercedes’ 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system. The sprint from zero to 100km/h takes 6.6 seconds -- 0.1 seconds quicker than the front-drive CLA 250 variant that was previously planned to enter Aussie showrooms.The CLA-Class’ 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system drives the front wheels alone during normal driving conditions but can send up to 50 per cent of the engine’s power rearwards in more demanding situations. The CLA250 also features electrically operated and heated front leather sports seats, plus AMG body kit and performance ‘enhancements.’Stamoulis told Carsguide he expects the 250 will be the most popular CLA variant when it goes on sale. Given the 12- month wait time for the CLA45 AMG, Stamoulis also believes that some AMG customers will purchase the 250 Sport to use until their 265W weapon arrives. 

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Rumours of a hybrid drivetrain for Mitsubishi’s next-generation Evolution performance flagship are gaining momentum, with a new report by Japanese magazine Holiday Auto suggesting that the next Evo will maintain its traditional turbo petrol and all-wheel drive attributes with green-friendly plug-in hybrid power.According to the report, the Evo will benefit from technology developed for efficiency-focused models like the new plug-in Outlander SUV to improve on the current model’s combined fuel consumption of at least 10.1L/100km, while boosting performance to new levels.Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari have recently proven that the words performance and hybrid are not at all mutually exclusive with their 918 Spyder, P1, and LaFerrari fastest-ever models, and it’s only a matter of time before such tech trickles down to more affordable performance models like the Evo.The Mitsubishi is not the only bang-for bucks champion in line for hybridisation, with Nissan’s next GT-R also set to incorporate some form of efficiency-boosting electrification and Honda has confirmed a similar shift for its upcoming NSX.Holiday Auto suggests that the Evo will use a similar dual electric motor layout to the Outlander PHEV, but will ditch the SUV’s atmo 2.0-litre petrol engine for a smaller 1.1 litre turbo unit similar to that used by the XR and AR concepts shown in Tokyo recently.Mitsubishi is reportedly targeting outputs similar to a 3.0-litre aspirated engine for the Evo-spec 1100cc unit, which suggests something in the vicinity of 170kW, before electric power is factored in.   Such a 155kW/L specific output would mark a significant jump from the 108.6kW/L achieved from the 217kW 2.0-litre turbo unit in the existing Evo X, and exceed even the 133.1kW/L achieved by 265kW 2.0 litre four powering the Mercedes A45 and CLA45 AMG twins.Even with the Outlander PHEV’s dual 60kW electric motors, a circa-170kW petrol engine would have the potential to trounce the current Evo X, but these could be uprated in the pursuit of GT-R rivalling performance reported elsewhere.Also key to a hybrid Evo’s performance potential will be maintaining the Outlander PHEV’s battery system location ahead of the rear axle for the benefit of weight distribution.Other reports have suggested that the next Evolution will require a bespoke platform to deal with its unique packaging and performance demands, suggesting it could lose the Lancer name for the first time in the model’s history.Such a repositioning would mirror Nissan’s GT-R, which was distanced from the Skyline nameplate for the first time when the current R35 model launched in 2007.The next-generation Lancer is set to ride on a platform shared with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but it is unclear whether this strategy extends to the mooted Evo replacement.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn

Carmakers spend up big on the annual Super Bowl commercials, with a 30-second in-game spot costing $3.7m and even slots at the start and end of the game commanding premium prices. It's money well spent if they can attract attention – and turn it into sales. And a good ad can go far beyond the game day, turning viral and getting millions of views. Volkswagen's Darth Vader from the 2011 Super Bowl and the hot Adriana Lima commercial from the 2012 Super Bowl are just two of the stars that went on to become global successes.So which were the big contenders this year? Mercedes-Benz was early out of the gates with a teaser featuring swimsuit model Kate Upton 'washing a car slowly'. The shapely Ms Upton didn't actually get her own hands wet – except to blow a bit of foam around – and her role seems to be mainly distracting the footballers who are doing all the hard work. Merc followed up with what must have been a costly exercise for the CLA, with a pact offered by Willem Dafoe as Satan, and the Rolling Stones 'Sympathy for the Devil' as the soundtrack.Watch the Mercedes-Benz Kate Upton car wash adWatch the Mercedes-Benz Soul adWe reckon Coke filched ideas from two top Aussie movies. Their Coke Chase ad featured a gang of Mad Max baddies and a crew of showgirls in a pink Priscilla bus, vying with a Great Escape motorbike, a posse of cowboys and a camel-leading Arabian sheik – all in a race to a giant Coke bottle. The ad was the key creative in an online campaign that lets viewers vote to let three of the teams reach the bottle first – or delay the other teams by watching linked 'sabotage' videos. Watch the Coke Chase adThe early teaser for Toyota's 'Wish' spot featured The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco – it looked like fun and was backed up with the 'Careful What You Wish For' full ad, which gained much from Cuoco's perky personality as Penny.Watch the Toyota Wish teaser ad Watch the Toyota RAV4 Wish adKia's Space Babies teaser shows some fantastic CGI, and an even more fantastic answer to kids asking where they come from. The ad works well nearly right to the slightly lame ending, but it's doubtful it stacks up as something to rival their viral stars, the Soul Hamsters.Watch the Kia Space Baby adBut the Kia ad that had everybody talking -- including motoring journos -- was 'Hotbots', where a robotic motor show stand attendant (we don't call them booth babes here) gets revenge on a grubby guy.Watch the Kia HotBot adHyundai went all-out for the Super Bowl with several spots. The 'Team' one for Santa Fe was an early favourite, with some great performances from child actors -- and a very scary mum.Watch the Hyundai Santa Fe Team adThe 'Playdate' took you on an extreme day out of having fun and upsetting security guards, bikies and police, with the Flaming Lips providing the soundtrack.Watch the Hyundai Playdate adThe Genesis was talked up in 'Excited' with Hyundai touting its advantages over high end, and particularly German, luxury cars.Watch the Hyundai Genesis Excited adAnd then there was the aversion therapy of 'Stuck', showing some of the worst vehicles you can be stuck behind in traffic -- unless you have a Hyundai Sonata to overtake them, of course.Watch the Hyundai Sonata Stuck adVolkswagen ditched the Star Wars theme, and instead drafted reggae legend Jimmy Cliff for their 'Get Happy' teaser – and then got into a little hot water with the full ad, which shows Caucasian men taking off Jamaican accents. Perhaps it's still a Star Wars link ... the movie franchise faced similar accusations of racial stereotyping with the Jamaican-sounding Jar Jar Binks.Watch the VW Get Happy adWatch the VW Jimmy Cliff adVW then followed up with a low-key but effective 'bad dog' ad, showing what to do when the dog eats your car keys.Watch the VW Bad Dog adAudi tapped into every adolescent boy's fantasy with a lad heading off to prom night alone being tossed the keys to his dad's Audi S6, kissing the football jock's girlfriend and generally making it a night to remember.Watch the Audi Prom adFiat has launched a trio of ads for the 500L, all aimed at emphasising how much larger it is than the garden variety 500. Date, Sisters and Wedding are all flavoured with Italian dressing and – while not as scorching at the Catrinel Menghia Abarth ads – still manage to be cheeky.Watch the Fiat 500L Date adWatch the Fiat 500L Sisters adWatch the Fiat 500L Wedding adThe Chrysler group turned on the patriotism for their slightly saccharine ode to a farmer and Whole Again ads.Watch the Dodge Ram Farmer adWatch the Jeep  Whole again adAnd even snack food Doritos has got in on the car act, with one of the finalists for its Crash the Super Bowl ad playoff featuring the perfect solution to a back seat dog problem.Watch the Doritos Road Chip ad 

Clever engineers have squeezed an astonishing 265 kilowatts of power and 450 Nm of torque from a little 2.0-litre engine for the CLA45 AMG. The high-pressure petrol turbocharged engine is the most powerful four-cylinder mass production engine ever made, and is married to a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox muscled up to deliver uber-fast shifts. The all-wheel drive system feeds torque mainly to the front wheels under normal conditions, with the rear ones coming into play in just a tenth of a second when needed. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott Watch the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG in action here.  

The car's coupe design gives it the most efficient aerodynamics on a mainstream production car. Kick off point is the CLA 200 with a 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine. It sips fuel at a combined rate of 5.7L/100km.Next up the ladder is the CLA 250 Sport u with a 2.0-litre, petrol, four cylinder, direct injection, turbocharged engine achieving 155kW/350Nm. This car's appearance is characterised by AMG styling, depicted by the diamond grille, intelligent light system, 18-inch' AMG wheels, sports pedals, AMG tuned suspension and sports steering wheel.Top of the range is the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG with 265kW/450Nm from a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine along with performance oriented 4matic all-wheel drive. This model is capable of extremely dynamic performance, clocking a 0-100kmh time in 4.6 seconds. A host of features are standard on the CLA-Class including 18-inch wheels, Becker Map Pilot Navigation, and a reversing camera.The 250 Sport gets heated electric leather sports seats with memory function and AMG styling. The 45 AMG includes AMG driver's package, AMG night package, AMG performance steering wheel, COMAND navigation and a Harmon Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system as standard. The CLA-Class will also arrive with exceptional safety features as standard. 

Mercedes-AMG has made its name on sharp-edged performance. And, until recently, that's involved cramming large-displacement engines under the hood. Now, surprisingly — representing a significant turnaround from some years ago — even AMG sees hybrid powertrains in its future. While BMW and Audi have been refocusing their performance efforts toward diesel engines, AMG chairman Ola Källenius told Edmunds that diesels don't deliver the aggressive characteristics of a gasoline engine. According to Källenius, AMG will produce a hybrid model “when the market is ready for it.” V12 engines can be offered for at least another five or six years, he says, but looking ahead we'll see a clear trend toward turbocharging and downsizing. Luckily, the executive points out, some of the development for F1 and production sports-car technology — especially concerning weight and materials — is converging. The new 2014 CLA45 AMG is already leading the performance division down a fresh path. With its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 265 kW, pushes the kilowatts-per-litre limits of petrol engines, at present. Supplementing smaller turbocharged engines with electric motor systems could, if properly tuned, provide a compelling powertrain for future performance models. AMG has a rich history of thoroughly re-engineering or reworking engines, transmissions, and every core component for a sharper, more satisfying driving experience, and by the time such models arrive, we fully expect the same here. www.motorauthority.com  

The New York motor show next week won't have as many impressive global debuts as Geneva did, but it will host the debut of one of the most anticipated cars of the year: the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG.The CLA45 AMG offers a more aggressive, aero-treated take on the standard CLA Class exterior, and a more Alcantara-and-carbon-fibered take on the interior. From every angle, inside and out, the photos, posted by Autoblog's Spanish counterpart, show it's a well-executed look.Better yet is the potency packed into this pint-sized four-door coupe. As Mercedes-AMG confirmed to us in Geneva, the CLA45 AMG will pack 265 kW, hit 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, and cost less than $50,000 to start.www.motorauthority.com