Yahoo Autos Here’s How Mercedes Is Differentiating the New CLA from the A-class Sedan
With the debut of the second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA at the CES technology show in Las Vegas earlier this week, one of the largest questions in our minds was, "What's the point of the new CLA now that the A-class sedan exists?" Both cars are betrunked four-door compacts that ride on the same platform, use the same powertrain, and have nearly identical interiors with many of the same options and features. Yes, the CLA is marketed as a "four-door coupe" with a swoopier roofline and more aggressive styling, but is it really different enough from the A-class to warrant its existence?
There are a few differences that are immediate by comparing the spec sheets. At 184.6 inches long and 72.0 inches wide, the new CLA is 5.5 inches longer and 1.3 inches wider than the A-class. It's also slightly shorter in height thanks to that sloping roofline. The CLA comes only in CLA250 form, with a 221-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, while the A-class is available only in 188-hp A220 form. The CLA also receives different suspension, steering, and stability-control tuning, But to many-including some at the C/D office-the CLA and A-class are still too similar. So to really understand Mercedes' thinking behind the two cars, we sat down with Gorden Wagener, Daimler's chief of design, to gain some insight into the CLA's design process.
We asked Wagener about his number-one goal in designing the new CLA, and his answer stemmed from the previous car. He says that the first-gen CLA was "a true design icon car," one that is very important from a brand perspective as he says it helped turned Mercedes from "a traditional luxury company to a modern luxury company." Around 80 percent of CLA customers were new to the brand, with a much younger average age than buyers of any other Mercedes model. He went on to say that the first CLA "looked like a design sketch," with exaggerated proportions, big wheels, and a high beltline. With the new platform and additional length, Mercedes was able to keep the expressiveness of the CLA and turn everything up a few notches for the new generation. Wagener says his team adhered to Benz's new "sensual purity" design philosophy, sculpting the car using only light and shadow instead of the myriad lines and creases of the old car. "It's more like a human body," he said of the new CLA's surfacing, "so I think it's a true embodiment of sexiness, in a human way-what we humans think is attractive. A car like the CLA must be sexy, and this car is."
We then asked how he went about differentiating the CLA and A-class sedan so the two have their own distinct personalities, and Wagener replied, "The A-class sedan is a more mainstream car, so it's more rational in terms of functionality. The CLA is much more irrational." He points out that the two cars are very different when you see them next to each other, and after seeing the new CLA in person, we're inclined to agree.
"It's tighter, it's lower, it's even more expressive in the language and the graphics. It's like when you compare an E-class and a CLS," said Wagener. "The new CLA is like a four-door sports car, even more than the current one, with some DNA from the CLS, but it's even more like the new AMG GT 4-Door."
When it comes to the interior, Wagener said that "the amount of luxury, the quality, the content is two classes up when compared to the competition," and that the A-class's interior didn't need to change much to still fit with the CLA's character. "I think this is a big achievement that we were able to put so much content in there and wrap it in such a nice way."
We then asked if there is a specific design feature on the CLA that is his favorite thing about the car, knowing that is nearly impossible for a designer to answer. Wagener said: "For me it's always the whole thing, and which role it plays on the chessboard of our entire portfolio. My goal as head of design is to make Mercedes the most beloved company, and I think the CLA and A-class sedan will help in that way, because they are bringing a new generation to the brand-and as we have the best loyalty with our brand, they stay with us and upgrade, so the CLA is a true brand shaper." He ended by saying, "And besides, I am happy as a designer that we can do such design-related cars, because the CLA is just pure design." With more than 750,000 CLAs sold since its inception in 2013, sometimes it pays to be irrational.
Finally, we asked about the possibility of the not-for-the-U.S. CLA Shooting Brake getting a second generation. Wagener said that the current Shooting Brake model is very successful in Europe and China. He adds that, even more than the regular CLA, "it's a very designer's car, a very irrational car. And it offers a lot of space even if it doesn't look like it would." Ending with a smile, he says: "So good reasons to continue that, let's see."
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