Mercedes-Benz starts production of the GLA in Germany

Mercedes-Benz started manufacturing its compact SUV, the GLA, in their production facility at Rastatt in Germany, yesterday. The GLA will be on sale in the German dealerships by March 2014.

         

The Mercedes GLA will be available in three engine variants- two petrol and one diesel. Both the diesel versions, the GLA 200 CDI and GLA 220 CDI will be powered by the same four-cylinder 2.2-litre engine. However, the GLA 200 CDI will produce 136bhp of power and 300Nm of torque, whereas the GLA 220 CDI will be retuned to produce 170bhp and 350Nm of torque.

         

The two petrol engines offered for the GLA are the 1.6-litre engine for the GLA 200 and the 2.0-litre for the GLA 250. The GLA 200’s engine churns out 156bhp of power and 250Nm of torque. On the other hand, the larger capacity mill in the GLA 250 delivers 211bhp of power and 350Nm of torque. The carmaker will offer the crossover with options of both,  front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive 4MATIC systems.

         

Mercedes-Benz exhibited the GLA at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year and recently started bookings for the same. The German manufacturer will build the GLA along with the A-Class and B-Class, which are currently being built at the Rastatt plant itself. Presently, models from the A-class and B-Class range built at this plant are sold in India via the CBU route. With the GLA reaching the German showrooms by March next year, we can also expect the carmaker to launch the compact SUV in the Indian market by end of 2014. It will compete with the Audi Q3, the BMW X1 and the Volvo V40 Cross Country.

         

Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said, “There is a very strong demand from our customers for SUVs and compact vehicles. The GLA allows us to combine these two segments and appeal to new customers. It is the next milestone in our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy.”