Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
The Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class is a front-engine, five-door, five passenger subcompact luxury crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Mercedes-Benz over two generations, and first presented at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. A preliminary concept debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2013.
Nissan marketed a badge engineered variant of the GLA from 2016 to 2019 through its Infiniti brand in North America as the Infiniti QX30, sharing the GLA mechanicals with revised exterior sheetmetal.
The GLA-Class is powered by a range of petrol and diesel 4-cylinder engines, and comes in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, the latter marketed by Mercedes as 4Matic.
The GLA nameplate aligns with Mercedes SUV nomenclature, where GL stands for Geländewagen and the A designates its overall place in the Mercedes range, in this class, the smallest or A-Class.
Concept models
Concept GLA (2013)
The compact SUV concept car debuted in the 2013 Auto Shanghai motor show and is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine rated, 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, driving all wheels via the Mercedes-Benz 4Matic system. The concept included front headlamps with a laser-beam projector, two cameras housed in the front roof rail, 20-inch wheels and fibre-optic ambient interior lighting.Concept GLA 45 AMG (2013)
The Concept GLA 45 AMG concept car was unveiled at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, as a high-performance version of the GLA-Class with an AMG 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-scroll turbocharged petrol engine rated and, 4Matic all wheel drive, AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed transmission with paddle shifters, and fitted with various AMG-badged accoutrements and an AMG sports exhaust system with an electronically controlled variable vane system to modulate the exhaust note.Concept GLA 45 AMG (2016)
The 2016 Concept GLA 45 AMG with an AMG 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-scroll turbocharged petrol engine rated and, 4Matic all wheel drive, AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed transmission with paddle shifters, and fitted with various AMG-badged accoutrements and an AMG sports exhaust system with an electronically controlled variable vane system to modulate the exhaust note.First generation (X156; 2013–2020)
The production X156 GLA-Class is closely based on the Concept GLA design and was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Orders had been taken beginning from the end of November 2013, and arrived in dealer showrooms during 2014, with Japan and US in the autumn.GLA facelift (2017–2020)
Mercedes unveiled a mid-life facelift of the GLA SUV at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2017. The updated model came with some cosmetic tweaks on the outside, including a redesigned grille, new front and rear bumpers and updated 18-inch alloy wheels. Moreover, the bi-xenon headlamps of the previous models were replaced by all LED units, while the taillights too were all LED and got a new design pattern. A new Canyon Beige colour option was also added. The interiors carried forward the same dashboard layout, though the infotainment system received a new 8.0-inch screen that was located on top of the centre console in a free-standing layout.GLA 45 AMG (2014–2019)
The design of GLA 45 AMG is based on Concept GLA 45 AMG, with AMG sports suspension, electromechanical AMG speed-sensitive sports steering, AMG high-performance braking system, 3-stage ESP with "SPORT Handling" mode, ESP Curve Dynamic Assist, 5-twin-spoke AMG light-alloy wheels painted titanium grey with high-sheen finish and 235/45 R 19 tyres, AMG front apron with front splitter in matt titanium grey, AMG 'twin blade' radiator grille in matt titanium grey, black flics above the large exterior cooling air intakes, bi-xenon headlamps, side sill panels with titanium grey inserts, 'TURBO AMG' lettering on the front wings and the aluminium roof rails, rear diffuser insert with titanium grey trim, rectangular chrome-plated tailpipe trim at the twin tailpipes.Launch models of the AMG are sold as "Edition 1", available for one year from market launch, and include a high-gloss black Aerodynamics package with larger front splitter, additional flics in the front apron, and rear aerofoil. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2014 North American International Auto Show with sales from the summer of 2014.
Technical details
The GLA-Class shares its platform with the A-Class and B-Class, with a similar range of petrol and diesel engines. Availability of engines varies between markets.Engines
Transmissions
Marketing
As part of a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Nintendo, the two companies released a television commercial featuring Mario driving a Mercedes-Benz GLA in the Japanese market in May 2014 to coincide with the line's Japanese launch. Additional commercials featuring other Mario characters in the same style were released in November 2014, culminating in the GLA becoming a selectable vehicle in Mario Kart 8 and its Switch port with Mercedes' W 25 Silver Arrow and 300 SL Roadster also being included.Production and sales
Production of the GLA-Class commenced in December 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant in Germany.Production of GLA-Class is set to begin in 2016 at a new assembly plant in Iracemápolis near São Paulo.
Production of the GLA-Class based Infiniti QX30, began in 2016.
| Calendar year | Production | US sales |
| 2014 | 6,884 | |
| 2015 | 25,593 | |
| 2016 | 24,545 | |
| 2017 | 24,104 | |
| 2018 | 24,136 |
Second generation (H247; 2020–present)
The second generation, introduced on 11 December 2019 at Mercedes media event, is revised from the previous generation; the chassisis now the, H247. The chassis number, 247, is shared with W247 B-Class and X247 GLB-Class. The GLA-Class uses the second generation MFA2 platform and completes the eight-model W177 A-Class compact based line-up.The H247 GLA is 15 mm shorter in length, 0.1 mm narrower, 104 mm higher than the first-generation model, and the wheelbase has been extended by 30mm. The H247 GLA has 116 mm more headroom, 45 mm more elbow room and 43 mm more rear shoulder room. The ground clearance has been raised by 9 mm to 143 mm and the front seats are positioned 140 mm higher than in the W177 A-Class. Despite this, there is an added 22 mm of front-seat headroom compared to its predecessor.
As with other MFA2-based models, the GLA has suspension with McPherson struts up front and either a torsion beam or multi-link arrangement at the rear. Variable damping control is optional. Inside, the GLA is similar to other MFA2 Mercedes models, featuring a dashboard with a free-standing digital display panel, the MBUX infotainment system, as well as other tech such as a colour Heads-Up Display.
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