Mercedes-Benz will be bringing both production A-Class and AMG GT sedans to the US next year, according to Automotive News. The company had already shown concepts for both vehicles earlier this year at the Shanghai and Geneva auto shows, respectively, but these are the first production details we've heard regarding the two cars.
Automotive News also reports that this A-Class sedan will have a base price of under $30,000 and be sold alongside the CLA-Class sedan, but had few details concerning the AMG GT sedan. We reached out to Mercedes but haven't yet received a reply.
It's surprising news that Mercedes would try to bring in an additional sedan model below the CLA-Class, considering how small the CLA already is, and its starting price of $33,695. It would seem as though offering a car of the same size at a slightly better price would only result in one car cannibalizing sales of the other. Then again, the German automakers have perfected the art of selling two sedans of similar size by saying one is a "coupe," so that strategy should, theoretically, work here, too. Mercedes could also increase the price of the CLA to further differentiate the two - and to make a bit more profit on the coupe-ish one.
Regardless of the marketing strategy for the A-Class sedan, we expect it will look pretty similar to the Concept A Sedan shown at the Shanghai auto show. The car featured smoother, cleaner lines and a more formal sedan shape than the swoopy CLA. The front fascia has some inspiration from the AMG GT.
Automotive News also reports that this A-Class sedan will have a base price of under $30,000 and be sold alongside the CLA-Class sedan, but had few details concerning the AMG GT sedan. We reached out to Mercedes but haven't yet received a reply.
It's surprising news that Mercedes would try to bring in an additional sedan model below the CLA-Class, considering how small the CLA already is, and its starting price of $33,695. It would seem as though offering a car of the same size at a slightly better price would only result in one car cannibalizing sales of the other. Then again, the German automakers have perfected the art of selling two sedans of similar size by saying one is a "coupe," so that strategy should, theoretically, work here, too. Mercedes could also increase the price of the CLA to further differentiate the two - and to make a bit more profit on the coupe-ish one.
Regardless of the marketing strategy for the A-Class sedan, we expect it will look pretty similar to the Concept A Sedan shown at the Shanghai auto show. The car featured smoother, cleaner lines and a more formal sedan shape than the swoopy CLA. The front fascia has some inspiration from the AMG GT.
Speaking of the AMG GT, we also expect the sedan version to be more or less the same as the Geneva concept. From the front and the back, it's clear the concept is related to the Mercedes halo coupe, it just happens to have extra doors and length in between. The car is an obvious choice for production, as it would give Mercedes a competitor to the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. The question is whether it will come to market with a version of the 805-horsepower hybrid powertrain shown in the concept with the now-ubiquitous twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. We would assume that the production model will at minimum get a non-hybrid version of that V8, and Mercedes may introduce a hybrid version later to kick off its EQ line of hybrid and electric cars.
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