Mercedes-Benz will give us a tantalizing taste of what its upcoming A-Class Coupe, a compact four-door coupe tentatively dubbed the CLA, is all about when it officially lifts the covers off its Concept Style Coupe (CSC) at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.
Positioned beneath the C-Class saloon, the CSC rides on Mercedes’s MFA compact platform and will measure 4 637mm long, 1 891mm wide and 1 398 mm high with a wheelbase of 2 699 mm. The concept is powered the same engine earmarked for the new A250 – a turbocharged 2,0-litre engine developing 155 kW channeled to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The production model will reportedly be offered in front- and all-wheel drivetrain configurations with a choice of six-speed manual and the aforementioned automatic transmissions. On the engine front, expect to see the 2,0-litre turbopetrol joined by a 1,6-litre four-cylinder unit developing 90 kW and another 2,0-litre mill with 115 kW. The diesels will be represented by a pair of 1,8-litre units (80/100 kW) and a 2,2-litre developing 125 kW.
An all-wheel drive AMG version, possibly dubbed CLA45 AMG in celebration of the tuning arm’s 45th anniversary, will reportedly feature a turbocharged 2,0-litre engine with as much as 253 kW on tap.
According to sources close to Autocar, the CLC’s “baby CLS” styling will not undergo as great a transformation as last year’s Concept A-Class did to become the production-spec A-Class, so what you’re seeing here will be very close to what rolls out of the factory next year. The CLC’s interior lifts a great deal of its styling cues from the production A-Class and, like the CLS, can be offered with a strictly four-seater cabin layout divided by a prominent centre console.
The CLA will take on the likes of the Audi A3 saloon, which is also due in 2013, and a planned saloon version of the BMW 1 Series set for 2015.
