The lifespan of the Mercedes A and B class will soon be coming to an end, the poor effort by the automaker in their mid-cycle facelifts was enough evidence to realise that Mercedes had bigger plans for the bottom of their product portfolio.

These plans include a small soft roader which is expected to carry the label BLK, it is due for launch at the end of 2011 and will slot into Mercedes' product line up below the GLK. It will battle against the likes of the BMW X1 and Land Rover LRX in the brand new premium mini-SUV segment. It is also expected Audi will join the party with their rumoured Q3.

Mercedes are currently in discussions with BMW about co-developing the engines which would be used in both the BLK and BMW X1. A range of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines are set to be offered, starting from a displacement of 1.6 liters rising to 2.2 liters. Optional four-wheel-drive will be available but the standard model is likely to offer just a front-wheel-drive system.

There is then the decision of what to do with the platforms of the current generation A-class and B-class. Rumours state up to three new models could be launched, one of these is expected to be a three door coupe based on the A class platform and there could even be an electrically powered model in the pipeline.

Modificato 21 Agosto 200817 anni fa da Touareg 2.5

da CarScoop.blogspot.com & CarMagazine.co.uk

La nuova piattaforma Mercedes a trazione anteriore darà origine ad un SUV compatto, futuro avversario delle Audi Q3 e BMW X1. Autocar ne fornisce una prima ricostruzione grafica, precisando che il nome commerciale sarà GLC. Questa vettura, fedele ai canoni stilistici introdotti dalla BlueZero, sarà equipaggiata con il nuovo motore 1.8 turbo benzina nelle versioni da 170 CV (GLC 200 CGI) e 204 CV (GLC 250 CGI), in aggiunta al 2.1 diesel da 170 CV (GLC 200 CDI) e 204 CV (GLC 250 CDI). Secondo la rivista inglese verrà inoltre proposto un nuovo 1.6 a gasolio da 120 CV sviluppato in collaborazione con Renault-Nissan (GLC 180 CDI). Per tutte sarà poi disponibile un cambio doppia frizione a sei rapporti.

Le “matite” della Stella disegneranno il corpo vettura ispirandosi come detto alla BlueZero, tratteggiando forme più morbide e arrotondate, di rottura, ben lontane dalla produzione odierna. Il vero elemento caratterizzante sarà tuttavia la fiancata, riconoscibile per le tre profonde nervature e per la linea di cintura ascendente. Questi elementi stilistici verranno utilizzati anche dalle prossime Classe A e Classe B, messe a calendario nel 2012. La Mercedes GLC debutterà invece nel 2013.

Autoblog.it

Articolo originale di Autocar.co.uk :

Mercedes-Benz’s appetite for controversial design shows no sign of abating, as this exclusive image of its new junior SUV — the GLC, as Stuttgart insiders call it — clearly reveals.

Set to go on sale in the UK in 2013, the new BMW X1 rival forms part of an impressive range of new models set to hail from the German car maker’s flexible new MFA (modular front architecture) platform.

Those models will also include replacements for today’s second-generation A-class and first-generation B-class, together with a new price-leading four-door coupé-like saloon that’s set to be badged CLC and potentially an estate, called CLT.

Styled at Mercedes’ main Sindelfingen studio in Germany, the GLC eschews the rugged look of the larger GLK for a highly contemporary design that adopts ideas first aired on the BlueZero concept, but on a more defined two-box body.

Its prominent styling features include Mercedes’ new, softer grille treatment, angular headlamps, bulbous wheel arches, scalpel-sharp feature lines down its flanks, a kicked-up waistline and a hatchback-like rear end.

The overall appearance, with its taut surfacing and heavy creases, is shared with the third-generation A-class and second-generation B-class. The GLC shares its platform with the new B-class, a version of the MFA that has been engineered to support both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.

Among the four-cylinder engines that Mercedes has planned for the GLC is a turbocharged 1.8-litre, direct-injection petrol unit. It will be offered in two different states of tune: 168bhp in the GLC200 CGI and a gutsier 201bhp in the range-topping GLC250 CGI.

The diesels, which are expected to account for more than 50 per cent of sales in the UK, will be a Renault-sourced 120bhp 1.6 in the GLC180, together with two different versions of Mercedes’ 2.1-litre oil-burner, developing 170bhp in the GLC200 CDI and 204bhp in the GLC250 CDI.

All engines will come with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission set to be optional on higher-end models. As part of Mercedes’ BlueEfficiency initiative, features such as brake energy recuperation, electro-mechanical steering and automatic stop-start will also be included as standard.

Alongside the regular petrol and diesel versions of the new GLC, Mercedes is engineering a range of alternative-fuel variants that include a petrol-electric hybrid as well as a hydrodgen-fuelled model.

Four-wheel drive capability comes by way of a multi-plate clutch that continuously varies the torque split between the front and rear axles. It is allied to a torque vectoring system that also controls the flow of power heading to each of the rear wheels.

The GLC will receive increased ground clearance, raising it some 20mm beyond that of the B-class for an even more commanding driving position and added off-road ability.

Mercedes is also developing a more basic front-wheel-drive variant of its new junior off-roader in a move aimed at maximising its sales potential while providing the basis for improved fuel economy. However, the front-wheel-drive variant is not yet confirmed as part of the launch line-up.

Greg Kable

Pare si chiamerà GLC. Pare, oltretutto, che AMG farà diventare questa nuova piattaforma MFA a TP per questioni di incompatibilità con lo spirito dell'atelier.

Ma perchè i PS delle future Mercedes son sempre irrimediabilmente più belli delle vetture di serie?

autobild.de

Rilancio il thread con l'ultimo dei ps riguardanti il futuro suv "compatto" di MB, che si chiamerà sicuramente GLA.

Modificato 4 Maggio 201213 anni fa da Touareg 2.5

Base koleos??

Base koleos??

La piattaforma è ovviamente la stessa della Classe A, la vettura a quanto si dice è definita da un pezzo, prima degli accordi con Renault.

In questa ricostruzione la trovo gradevole...

La piattaforma è ovviamente la stessa della Classe A, la vettura a quanto si dice è definita da un pezzo, prima degli accordi con Renault.

In questa ricostruzione la trovo gradevole...

4R di Settembre riporta foto ben definite e news della GLA.

Costruita sulla base della classe A, la ricalca in tutto e per tutto , meccanicamente , esteticamente e come layout interno. Logicamente con misure rialzate da Suv/Crossover (a differenza di XC40 , che altro non è che la V40 rialzata sulle sospensioni, stile DS4).

In partica, con immenso ritardo, percorre la via di X1/Q3/Evoque x contrastare Tiguan/iX35/Sportage/QQ &company.

Prezzi previsti superiori all'entry level (Tiguan e iX35), ma inferiori a X1/Q3 (anche perche' le motorizzazioni sono piu' piccole...)

1happydream

PS Quando scrivono,prevista x il 2014 , si intende inizio anno?

autoevolution

Primi muli per la GLA. Però che figa conciata così la Classe A !

per me paradossalmente migliora.

la classe ha è un po' tamarra per essere considerata una berlina: "lineamenti" troppo pronunciati, ma come suv ci sta.