Mercedes planning another small sedan

Mercedes is readying another small luxury sedan which will be positioned between the next-gen CLA four-door coupe and the C-class sedan. This new sedan will rival the likes of the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-series sedan that is yet to go on sale in many global markets. 

This new sedan will, like the CLA, get power from a long line-up of diesel and petrol four-cylinder engines. There will also be multiple hybrid variants on offer. According to sources, this new sedan will be built in both right-hand as well as left-hand drive configuration.

Among the gearboxes for the global markets will be a standard six-speed manual and an optional nine-speed dual clutch automatic – the latter a development of today’s seven-speed unit to be produced in-house at Mercedes-Benz’s gearbox manufacturing facility near Stuttgart in Germany. Benefitting from a transverse engine layout, the new sedan is described as being particularly roomy, with passenger and luggage space almost on par with the larger C-class.

According to our sister publication Autocar UK, Mercedes has not confirmed this new model. However, there are chances that it could come to global showrooms sometime before end-2018, just after the arrival of the next-gen A-class hatchback.

Set to support both standard front- and optional four-wheel drive, the Mercedes sedan is among six models planned to be based on Mercedes' second-generation MFA platform, including successor models to the A-class, B-class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, and GLA.

The second-gen MFA platform has been designed to support a new electrical architecture. It provides the basis for a new Comand 6.0 infotainment system with both touchscreen and gesture controls.

The dimensions of the new A-class sedan are shrouded in secrecy, but it is expected to stretch beyond the 4630mm length, 1780mm width and 1430mm height of the existing first-generation CLA. By comparison, rivals such as the A3 sedan measure 4450mm in length, 1795mm in width and 1415mm in height, while the 1-series sedan runs to 4456mm in length, 1803mm in width and 1446mm in height.

This new sedan will be built in two wheelbase options, a standard length and an extended variant aimed at the Chinese market.