Mercedes-Benz CLA

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The Mercedes-Benz CLA is a series of luxury subcompact executive cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz since 2013. The first generation was a four-door sedan based on the platform of the W176 A-Class and W246 B-Class compact cars, marketed as a four-door coupé. In 2015, Mercedes-Benz expanded the CLA family to include a station wagon configuration which it markets as a Shooting Brake.

The CLA is Mercedes-Benz's first front-wheel drive vehicle offered in the American market. The CLA range is positioned above the A-Class and it is nearly on the level of the C-Class in the Mercedes model range, and models tend to be less practical than the A-Class it is based on.

The CLA first went on sale in Europe in April 2013, and was subsequently introduced in the United States in September 2013. Its largest markets are Western Europe and the United States. Global cumulative CLA sales reached 100,000 during its first year, cited as "our best launch in 20 years" by Mercedes-Benz. Worldwide, Mercedes-Benz sold about 750,000 units of the first generation.

The design of the C117 CLA is based on the Concept Style Coupe concept unveiled by Mercedes-Benz at the 2012 Avant/Garde Diaries event in Los Angeles, followed by the 2012 Auto China, and Huashan 1914 Creative Park. It is a four-door fastback coupe, based on the platform of the W176 A-Class and W246 B-Class compact cars. The production version C117 CLA was publicly unveiled at the 2013 North American International Auto Show, with sales commencing in September 2013.

Trial production of the CLA at the Kecskemét plant at southeast of Budapest, Hungary started in 2012, with production at Kecskemét plant beginning in January 2013.

Mercedes claimed that the C117 would be the most aerodynamic production vehicle on sale with a Cd=0.23, beating the previous most-aerodynamic, the Tesla Model S with Cd=0.24. The CLA 180 CDI Blue Efficiency was claimed to be even more aerodynamic with a Cd=0.22. However, independent measurement by Car and Driver Magazine in May 2014 bore out Tesla's claim by exactly confirming a drag coefficient of Cd=0.24, putting Mercedes' claim into question by measuring the CLA at Cd=0.30. The test done by Car And Driver was in turn criticized for being imprecise as to which model variant of the CLA was tested and which variant was advertised featuring a Cd=0.23.

The C117 CLA was also the first front-wheel drive vehicle ever offered by Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. market.