Mercedes Increases Production To Meet US CLA Demand

by Cameron Aubernon

Published: September 16th, 2014

mercedes increases production to meet us cla demand

[AUTHOR’S NOTE: I erroneously reported production would be increased at MBUSI in Vance, Ala. alongside the Hungary facility. That’s what I get for reading the dateline and interpreting things as such. My apologies. — CA]

With demand still strong and supply still tight months later, Mercedes-Benz is pumping up production capacity to bring more CLAs to showrooms in the United States.

Automotive News reports 14,113 copies of the $30,825 entry-level premium sedan were sold in the United States during the last four months of 2013, with the most sold overall in October at 4,895 units. Additionally, 15,676 CLAs left the showroom floor from January through August of this year.

Thus, the facility in Kecskement, Hungary that produces the CLA added a third shift in May to help meet demand the world over, having made a total of 109,266 in 2013 alone. The plant will also host production of a CLA shooting brake, a vehicle Mercedes has “no current plans” to bring over to the U.S., according to a representative.

As for how many CLAs will be leaving Vance, Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche didn’t specify, though he did expect “a positive reaction” to the boost in production.

#CLA #Entry-levelVehicles #Hungary #Kecskement #Mercedes-Benz #PremiumSedans #ProductionIncreases #SupplyAndDemand #Vance

Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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16 of 88 comments

Mjz on Sep 16, 2014

Mercedes Lite. Cars like this will eventually tarnish the Mercedes brand image.

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- Flybrian on Sep 16, 2014
  
  Eventually? They sold the RL for chrissake.
  
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- FreedMike on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @Flybrian Ever driven a R-class AMG? Best. Q-ship. Ever. But even thought the R-class was an odd duck, it was built like a Mercedes, felt like a Mercedes, and drove like a Mercedes. I've never driven a CLA, but it sure doesn't look or feel like it belongs in a Mercedes showroom.
  
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- Flybrian on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @FreedMike No, but the regular RL is just an electromechanical-pneumatic nightmare waiting to explode out of warranty.
  
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- Hubcap on Sep 16, 2014
  
  It's a source of mild fascination to me that in this age of information sharing it seems the majority of Mercedes Benz customers aren't aware of the range of products available in other markets. I wouldn't and don't have a problem with smaller cars, built more to a price, sharing a showroom with their larger brethren which are also built to a price--there's just a bit more padding built in. Mercedes runs the gamut. From the A Class to the S. Delivery vans, city buses, garbage trucks, OTR semis and military vehicles are all adorned with the tri-star. Yet here in the states, Mercedes believes (and it might very well be true) that if their customers became aware, it would somehow tarnish the brand. Fascinating. I'm not quite sure what it says about U.S. consumers though.
  
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- Ion on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @FreedMike I have. The R63 is the answer to the question nobody really asked. "How do we make our not a minivan or wagon thing better?" A 6.3 v8.
  
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- Chan on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @hubcap The problem with the CLA is that it's selling itself as a "luxury car" on basis of style and badge. When I buy an A-class (I can't; I live in the US) I know I am buying a city car and I don't really care to brag about it. When I ride an MB Citaro in Paris, I am not much different from someone in London riding an Alexander Enviro or someone in New York riding on a Gillig (actually, the last part is false. The Gillig carries more bums and drunkards, so there is a difference). This car was clearly designed for the "Guess what I bought! A MERCEDES" crowd.
  
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- HotPotato on Sep 25, 2014
  
  Audi sells an overpriced Jetta with FWD and a rough 4-cylinder and we all clap. Mercedes does the same and we lose our flippin minds. What am I missing?
  
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APaGttH on Sep 16, 2014

You know why I love the CLA? Because it gave the C class room to breathe. Now we're getting a baby E-class with an S-class interior for well under $50K. First interesting car to my eyeballs that I could put in the driveway Mercedes has come out with in close to two decades.

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- Kyree on Sep 16, 2014
  
  I do think the new C-Class is an excellent vehicle, from what I've seen and read. It's nice to see Mercedes-Benz stop chasing the crowded compact sport-sedan segment and do what they do best...luxury limousines. I feel like their target and prospective markets will respond much more favorably to the "baby E/S-Class". While BMW and Audi try to ding you with pleather materials and optional satellite radios, Mercedes-Benz gives you what you wanted in the first place, which is a *luxury* vehicle. And I'm sure it'll maintain some semblance of athleticism as well...
  
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- Krhodes1 on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @Kyree I don't get the hangups about German vinyl. The Germans have been using that stuff FOREVER. It's better than leather, which is a really crap material to use in a car. MY '88 300TE, which many folks think is one of the pinnacles of Mercedes car making, had vinyl seats and cost almost $50K 26 years ago - you didn't even get an electric driver's side mirror at that price. I LIKE that I can buy a German car without all that extra crap. Choice is a good thing. My only complaint with BMW is that they only offer the vinyl in meh colors. Black, beige, or gray. At least my Mercedes was Navy Blue inside.
  
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- Mcs on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @krhodes1 I don’t get the hangups about German vinyl. Especially now that modern leather seems to consist of a single layer of cow skin cells coated with vinyl paint
  
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- Kyree on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @krhodes1 I have "V-Tex" in my Jetta SportWagen (partially because I like it and partially because VW doesn't offer actual leather on that model). I actually don't mind V-Tex and I mostly don't mind MBTex, but BMW's leatherette leaves much to be desired. That's a moot point for me, of course, because I'd have to go with the "Comfort" or "Sport" seats in any Bimmer, and those seem to be wrapped exclsively in leather.
  
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- Krhodes1 on Sep 16, 2014
  
  @Kyree What do you find unpleasant about BMWs vinyl compared to the others? Seems like pretty much the same stuff to me, with VWs being noticeably thinner and cheaper feeling. Sport does not necessarily mean leather, at least on the 1, 2, and 3. Leather was and is usually either a standalone option, or included in the Premium Pkg. There were exceptions over the years. Some years of 335i had leather standard, and some years of at least the 328i wagon (my '11 included) had leather as part of the free "Value Package". But whether they seats are sport seats or not is irrelevant. If you got the sport package, or now sport line, they come covered in whatever you otherwise ordered. And it can be VERY difficult to tell the difference in the car - the big giveaway is the stitching pattern, they pretty much feel the same either way. Which makes sense, as automotive leather at less than optional 5-series level, is pretty much just painted cow hide. And after a few years it shows.
  
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Voyager on Sep 17, 2014

If I can remember it correctly, Cadillac practically owned the U.S. luxury car market in the 70's, accounting for approx. fifty percent. That has shrunk to less than nine percent this year. Now the Germans own fifty percent of the U.S. luxury car market. As one commentator wrote: the more Cadillac waits, the less (financial) room there is to maneuver... and to compete.

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Stanczyk on Sep 18, 2014

It's a fake Mercedes : it's FWD and it's got no style(just shmancy fancy colours and messy 'cheap-pumped.up-hyped' design..) .. MB is making money on ignorant, nouveau-riche hipsters .. and because this car is quite $uccesfull($ellout) .. the others will follow .. (As somebody's writen here: GM should dress Chevy Cruze into 'Caddy's clothes .. and today .. nobody will notice(maybe except some 'underground car magasines':) , because the mainstream ones[that need adds to survive] will follow corporate-PR bull$..t )..

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