With the successful launch of the Mercedes-Benz CLA grabbing the attention of many new entry level luxury buyers, Mercedes-Benz was able to capture the top US luxury sales from BMW for the first time since 1999.
Mercedes-Benz has also ventured into the now highly competitive compact SUV market, targeting entry-level SUV consumers with the new Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG. With its high performing turbo engine, sporty and stylish design, this SUV has the strength of appealing to a wide variety of customer desires.
The Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG is a bold statement by Mercedes-Benz that they are here to make their presence known in the compact SUV market. The 2.0 liter turbo AMG is the most powerful series-production four-cylinder engine in the world at 355 hp, 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph from the AMG SPEEDSHIT DCT-7 speed sports transmission.
The response from the world premiere of the concept GLA45 AMG at the Los Angeles Auto Show declared Mercedes-Benz's decision to enter the market and unveil their new design. Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Management Board at Mercedes-Benz recognizes
“…no segment is growing faster than that of compact SUVs.” The GLA is not only a powerful SUV but has impressively low consumption."
This allows Mercedes-Benz to become competitive in a market where the BMW X1 xDrive35i and Infiniti QX50 have so far dominated. Mercedes not only hopes to bring more first-time buyers to the Mercedes brand, but also to the AMG performance brand, as they have had success with the CLA45 AMG and continued production with Mercedes-AMG models.