Mercedes-Benz GLA200 2016 News

As many as eight SUVs will crowd into Mercedes-Benz showrooms in Australia within five years as the German brand expands its family-friendly lineup. The most important of Benz's new babies is the all-new GLA, but it is expected to be followed by a tiddler, a crossover coupe based on the ML and a youthful newcomer built from last year's Ener-G-Force concept. The mid-sized GLK, which has been a glaring Australian omission in recent years in a class dominated by the Audi Q3 and BMW X3, is already confirmed below the existing ML, GL and G-Class. It is coming in 2015 as the second-generation GLK is finally built with right-hand drive. But it's the GLA which will make the biggest impact next year, as Benz's five-model compact drive nears its conclusion. The GLA is one of four models now confirmed - after the A-Class and B-Class that are on sale, as well as the CLA coupe - with one still secret.It's most-obvious rival is the Range Rover Evoque, a design-driven success that's been a sellout around the world. The GLA is coming in the second quarter of 2014 and company spokesman, David McCarthy, says it will do a similar re-set job in the SUV class to the A-Class that has drawn buyers from a range of cheaper rivals including the Volkswagen Golf. "The obvious competitors are amongst our German colleagues. But where it will be positioned on price, there will be a lot of people who lift their expectation from something like a Subaru," he says, without actually revealing the price. McCarthy says the GLA is the most important of the compact newcomers, even though the A and B-Class have been selling strongly. "We're excited about it. The compact SUV category is very strong. And we want to play there. "It's also an important stepping stone to the GLK, the ML, and further up the SUV range." And he cannot resist a swipe at the GLA's likely rivals. "Dare I say, it's the stylish utility vehicle," he says tongue-in-cheek. "It looks great and it's something very new for us. But we're going to have problems with supply." As details of the GLA become public, McCarthy confirms a commitment to AMG performance models - the A45 is already up and running in Australia - for everything short of the B. "There will be AMG versions of all of them, except for the B Class. This year we will potentially do 1500 AMGs in total," he says. Mercedes is forecasting more than 1000 baby-car sales this year, as the brand looks to beat BMW in the showroom stakes. "People joke about this, but our goal is to sell every single car that we put our name against for a profit. We don't believe it moving forwards by looking backwards," says McCarthy. This report is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

As many as eight SUVs will crowd into Mercedes-Benz showrooms in Australia within five years as the German brand expands its family-friendly lineup. Watch the video here

We know Mercedes-Benz is planning a new compact crossover based on the platform underpinning the CLA and to be labeled a GLA. We also know the vehicle is scheduled to make its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show on September 10. Now we have our first official look thanks to a set of official images that leaked onto the internet just hours after Mercedes released a teaser video and some design sketches. This isn’t the GLA concept car we saw at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show but the production GLA set for a debut next month and due in Australia towards the end of the year, as a 2014 model.  Pricing is expected to be around $45,000-$70,000 to match rivals, with the spread of prices depending on drivetrain and specification. The GLA - which shares the platform and drivetrain with the A250 hatch, the CLA sedan and the B-Class hatch - will be available with similar petrol and diesel engines. That means the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder found in the A250 and base CLA, delivering 155kW of power and 350Nm of torque, with drive sent to either the front or all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Other engines are also on the cards, including 115kW turbo 1.6-litre for the base model GLA200, a 100kW 1.8-litre turbodiesel for the GLA200 CDI, and the 265kW turbo petrol four-cylinder from the A45 AMG. We’ve already seen numerous prototypes, though these have been heavily camouflaged. The images show a rugged vehicle that’s managed to maintain the svelte lines of the previous concept. The GLA echoes the styling of the A250 and other models with a large twin-bar grille and swept-back headlights. But it follows the A250 detail with coupe-style frameless doors, recessed door handles and wrap-around tail lights. Shots of the interior showed a layout virtually identical to that found in the CLA. Key competitors include the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque. www.motorauthority.com  

The uptown wagon market goes into overdrive as Mercedes enters the premium compact SUV sector. Shown this week at the Shanghai motor show, the Mercedes-Benz GLA concept becomes the third A-Class model and the first baby SUV to take on the Range Rover Evoque, BMW X3 and Audi Q3. Mercedes Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the GLA - heavily based on the concept shown at Shanghai - goes into production next year and is expected in Australia soon after. It will be shown in production form later this year at the Frankfurt motor show. Pricing is expected to be around $50,000-$70,000 to match rivals, with prices depending on drivetrain and specification. Mr Stamoulis says the GLA - which shares the platform and drivetrain with the current A250 hatch, the upcoming CLA sedan and the B-Series hatch - will be available with the same petrol and diesel engines. An AMG version is predicted by Mr Stamoulis says it hasn’t been confirmed. The GLA will be the second compact SUV from Mercedes to come to the Australian market within 18 months. The next generation of the GLK - based on the C-Class platform - is also on its way. The GLA repeats the styling of the A250 and other models with a large twin-bar grille and swept-back headlights. But it follows the A250 detail with coupe-style frameless doors, recessed door handles and wrap-around tail lights. The headlights have laser technology that shine more light on the road than other lights and can also become projectors. Mercedes vice-president of sales and marketing, Joachim Schmidt, says “the Concept GLA marks a new approach for us in the compact SUV segment’’. “This is a sporty and more coupe-like evolution of this category of vehicle. “It combines its sporting spirit with the all-round qualities of a tough, leisure-time companion. “It also makes clear the further potential of our compact vehicle architecture.’’ New Mercedes doubles as a drive-in theatre.

The drive-in theatre might be nearing its final act but the German car maker is trying to bring the good old days into modern household driveways. Mercedes has revealed its second concept car in a little more than six months that is capable of projecting movies onto a screen in front of the vehicle when stopped. At the Paris motor show last year the company revealed a tiny projector on the bonnet of its new Smart car, the baby of the Benz brand. Now the company that invented the automobile has released a new version of that technology ahead of the Shanghai motor show, which opens this weekend. The headlights of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA, a pint-sized SUV due on sale in 2014, double as movie projectors. The company claims owners can project any video on their smartphone or tablet via the system. But don’t hold your breath waiting for the technology to arrive in showrooms anytime soon, even if the car will. Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the technology is not yet confirmed for production. “It’s a concept car that shows what is possible,” he said. “Of course, if it became available, we’d love to have it.” Meanwhile the same system – which gives a new meaning to projector headlights – is also able to project directions (in the form of giant arrows) onto the road so drivers don’t need to glance at the navigation system in the cabin. “In this way, other road users, too, would be able to see where a driver is going,” the Mercedes statement said. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling Find out more: Carsguide liftout

It will join the compact A and B-Class that are already public, going up against the Range Rover Evoque but with a body that's far less adventurous than the sellout British baby.