Depending on how successful Mercedes-Benz’s new coupe crossover based on the Concept Coupe SUV is, we could see the German automaker launch more of the style-oriented vehicles including one based on the latest GLA-Class. The first, tipped to be called an MLC, will be based on the bones of the M-Class SUV and hit the market late next year. It is expected to look similar to the Concept Coupe SUV and will be produced at the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
While we’ve heard similar vehicles could be launched that share their underpinnings with the GLK-Class and even the GL-Class, in an interview with Automotive News (subscription required), Mercedes R&D chief Thomas Weber said the GLA-Class platform could also get the coupe crossover treatment.
Weber explained that Mercedes was looking at launch a whole line of “on-road” crossovers that will be aimed at buyers seeking a vehicle that combines the sporty look of a coupe with the high seating position of an SUV.
Close rival BMW initiated the segment with its X6 and has recently revealed a smaller X4 model. The automaker is also alleged to be working on an even smaller X2, which the GLA-based coupe crossover would compete with. A similar strategy is being implemented at Audi, which predicts that 45 percent of its sales will be made up of crossover and SUV models by the end of the decade.
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