C118 Mercedes-Benz CLA to debut at CES 2019, Jan 8

The Detroit Auto Show may be the first major motor show of 2019, but Mercedes-Benz isn’t waiting that long to debut its new CLA, preferring to unveil it a week earlier at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 8. The four-door coupé, codenamed C118, will be the fourth model in Stuttgart’s renewed compact car range, after the W177 A-Class hatchback and V177 sedan and the W247 B-Class MPV.

As with usual teasers, there’s little that can be gleaned from the sole photo provided, save for the trademark swooping, low-slung roofline. There’s also a hint of a CLS-inspired rear end, which recent spyshots have shown to feature similar trapezoidal tail lights as its larger sibling. The cleaner side surfacing, dispensing with the outgoing model’s pronounced shoulder line, is just about visible as well.

Mercedes also claims that the new CLA will come with a revised version of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) interface. The system, which first debuted at last year’s show before being fitted to the A-Class, is said to incorporate new functions such as the MBUX Interior Assistant gesture control feature first seen on the new GLE SUV.

Built on the new Modular Front Architecture (MFA2) platform, the CLA is expected to get the full range of new engines from the A-Class, which include the Renault-derived M282 1.33 litre turbo four-cylinder petrol and Mercedes’ own 2.0 litre unit, plus a 1.5 litre diesel. There will also likely be two high-performance AMG versions, including a 306 hp CLA 35 and a CLA 45 with upwards of 400 hp.

GALLERY: C118 Mercedes-Benz CLA spyshots

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