奔驰在今年3月的日内瓦车展发布了AMG GT四门概念车，而据外媒报道，下一代奔驰CLA可能会采用类似该车的快背式设计以提升其吸引力。据接近奔驰的消息人士透露，下一代CLA将采用快背设计并将于2019年底在美国上市。而下一代A级轿车也将于明年底或2019年初在美国上市，而五门掀背车仍将继续推出。这些车将采用奔驰第二个版本的MFA前驱平台，未来美版GLB跨界车也将采用该平台。奔驰老板Ola Kullenius透露，未来将有八款车采用MFA2平台，除了A级掀背车，轿车，CLA，CLA Shooting Brake，B级车和据传的GLB，还有一款车也将采用该平台。
Next Mercedes CLA To Get Fastback Design Like The AMG GT Concept?
Mercedes’ compact car lineup is all set to expand in the years to come and one of the new members of the family will be an A-Class Sedan previewed last month at Auto Shanghai. But where does that leave the CLA? Some would ask. In order to avoid a clash between the two models, the sleeker CLA will become sexier in its next generation by adopting a fastback design in the same vein as another recent concept, the four-door GT introduced in Geneva back in March and branded as a Mercedes-AMG.
Automotive News has learned about the CLA’s transformation from sources close to Mercedes who went on to specify the new fastback is scheduled to land in United States towards the end of 2019. Interestingly, the same report indicates the aforementioned A-Class Sedan will also be sold in the U.S. beginning with late 2018 / early 2019 while the five-door hatchback will continue to be a forbidden fruit.
These will ride on Mercedes’ second version of the front-wheel-drive-based MFA platform, which is also expected to underpin a U.S.-bound GLB crossover inspired by the boxy G-Class. Mercedes boss, Ola Kullenius, revealed only a few days ago the MFA2 architecture will serve as foundation for a total of eight models, so one more compact car is in the pipeline to join the A-Class hatchback, sedan, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, B-Class, GLA, and that rumored GLB.
A long-wheelbase A-Class Sedan or GLB for China could be it, although we’re not sure any of the two has what it takes to qualify as a distinct model. If not, it will be interesting to learn about the identity of the eighth model since Mercedes is pretty much covering all the bases already. Given the SLC’s possible demise, a cabriolet might not be such a good idea.