Mercedes Confirms Mini-SUV

The A class platform sure is getting around. Besides being the base for the upcoming CLC, Mercedes has officially confirmed they’ll be building a compact SUV as well. You might remember in that teaser shot of future models from AMG, there were a few unidentifiable SUVs. Maybe this model (GLA?) was one of them.

Chief Executive of Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, made the announcement at a conference at their Rastatt plant. “The A class represents our offensive in the compact segment,” he said, “And there is more to come. The compact SUV will be the third model we will build here in Rastatt.” This lines up with what we’re seeing from Mercedes any way. The A45 AMG is the pocket rocket, the A-class will be the volume model, the CLA will be their top-tier model, and the GLA will challenge Audi’s Q3 and BMW’s X1.

According to Mercedes, the market for small luxury cars has never been hotter. They’ve recieved over 40,000 orders for the A-Class since the car went on sale last June. With the introduction of the CLA, the GLA, and the A45 AMG though, we can only wait and see how well this venture will turn out for them.