Mercedes’s recent A-Class model range has already undergone a phase of rapid expansion, but it appears the growth period is far from over and a few newcomers are due to join the fray within the next year or so.
Speaking at the recent international launch of the Mercedes-Benz GLA Dr. Ruediger Rutz, overall testing compact cars, stated that a new model is destined to join the A-Class line-up.
Rutz was tight-lipped regarding the nature of the upcoming compact car, leaving the subject open to a great deal of speculation
The A-Class platform, which is also shared with the firm’s B-Class compact MPV/hatch, already plays host to a hatchback, a four-door coupé (CLA) and a crossover (GLA), the latter three all spawning AMG spinoffs.
It’s a diverse model portfolio that appears to have spanned most of the variants one can expect within the segment, but there are some gaps.
One theory is that the A-Class platform could play host to a compact coupé – possibly a micronized version of the stunning S-Class Coupé. Should this prove the case, it’s unlikely that such a model would spawn a convertible due to it’s potential to cannibalise sales from the SLK.
There have also been rumours of a miniature SUV slotting in below the GLK. A couple of years ago such a model would’ve been considered something of a long shot, but with the appearance of such models as the Fiat 500X-based Jeep Renegade and Audi’s upcoming Q1 a fairly strong case is likely being built for such a model to emerge.
