Mercedes GLA goes in to production in Germany

The new Mercedes GLA – a compact SUV / Crossover based on the Mercedes A Class – has gone in to production this week at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant.

The Mercedes GLA (pictured) goes in to production

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The new Mercedes GLA – Mercedes’ latest spin-off from the A Class – arrived at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September as an urban SUV come Crossover, extending Mercedes reach in the premium compact sector with a serious competitor in the urban SUV market.

With the growing fondness for high-riding cars – and something that’s a bit butch too – the SUV/Crossover take on the Mercedes A Class is a sound way to go and now, with production starting in Germany this week of the new GLA, Mercedes is getting close to having the GLA in customers’ hands.

The first GLAs to get in to the hands of customers will probably be the GLA Edition 1 – a launch model with plenty of toys – but the model that will perhaps be most interesting is the GLA 45 AMG, with the promise of the same rufty-tufty compact SUV goodness as the rest of the range but with the 4WD platform and high performance 2.0 litre Turbo from the A 45 AMG.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Mercedes boss, 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.

And he’s not wrong; the arrival of the GLA – due in Mercedes UK showrooms in March 2014 – should put even more wind in to the strong A-Class sales Mercedes has enjoyed so far.