Mercedes-Benz GLA to be showcased at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo

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India will get its first taste of the GLA as Mercedes-Benz is set to showcase it at the 2014 Delhi Auto. First unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show in April last year, the GLA will be the latest addition to the slew of crossovers, once it gets launched in India.

The GLA is a beefed-up, crossover version of the A-Class and is based on Mercedes-Benz’s front/all-wheel- drive Modular Front Architecture (MFA) platform. Even though the looks have been toned down from the concept, the skid plates and the paneling give the car a butch appearance. At 4,427mm, the five-seater is 135mm longer than the A-Class hatchback. Like all MFA-based cars, the GLA uses a number of fuel-saving features like automatic stop-start and radiator grille shutters. Internationally, the car is available with Mercedes’ four-wheel-drive 4MATIC system, though we can expect it to be offered only in the FWD guise here.

The Mercedes GLA will be available with a petrol and a diesel engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, similar to the ones in the A-Class. The 1.6-litre petrol makes 122bhp and 200Nm of torque while the 2.2-litre diesel makes 109bhp and 250Nm of torque in the A-Class and we expect similar figures in the GLA too.

When launched in the middle of 2014, the GLA is expected to be priced in the Rs 27-30 lakh bracket and will compete with the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and the Volvo V40 Cross Country.