Mercedes-Benz CLA images leak

Images of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA have leaked onto the internet, revealing the production form of the compact four-door model.

There is no official clarification from the German car maker yet, but the five pictures look to be the genuine article of the showroom version of a vehicle previewed last April as the Concept Style Coupe (pictured below).

Compare the images above and below and you can see the Mercedes-Benz CLA is a natural production evolution from the 2012 Beijing motor show concept.

The production CLA retains the grille that looks like it’s been designed by Tiffany’s, and the lower front bumper is similarly aggressive. The production headlights are shorter and fatter, though, and there are regular-looking side mirrors instead of the fancy, slimline versions of the concept’s.

The concept’s multi-blade alloy wheels also make way for large black multi-spoke alloys from the Mercedes wheels catalogue.

The scalloped flanks remain, while the rear end is also similar to the concept’s except for tail-lights that adopt a slightly different profile.

The glasshouse isn’t quite as shallow on the production Mercedes-Benz CLA, though there’s still the tapering effect at the rear to make the CLA a junior version of the CLS four-door ‘coupe’.

Mercedes will slot the CLA, which is based on the A-Class and B-Class platform, below the C-Class as far as price tags go, although the CLA is actually a bit longer than the company’s 3 Series rival.

The CLA will be offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, and offer the same range of petrol and diesel engines as the A-Class.

The leaked images also show a dash that follows the general design of the A- and B-Class interiors, as expected. This includes features such as the SLS supercar-inspired circular air vents and iPad-style display screen.

Mercedes recently unveiled official ‘spy’ shots of the CLA performance model, the CLA45 AMG, that goes on sale locally in early 2014 â€" just a few months after regular versions.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA will carry a premium over the equivalent A-Class. If a CLA180 model is brought here, that means the German car maker’s new sedan could start from about the $40,000 mark.