Rendering - India bound Mercedes GLA is an A Class with a rough road package

The Mercedes Benz GLA Class was shown in its concept avatar at 2013 Auto Shanghai. Mercedes had presented a high riding concept with SUV-ish looks. However, as it turns out, the production GLA will be toned down.

We got the first hint of this after Indian Autos Blog reader Mr. Nitin Kumar sent us images he had taken of the GLA prototype in Dubai. From what we see, the GLA seems to be an A Class with roof rails and a slightly different tailgate.

Soon enough, there were reports circulating that Mercedes would tone down the design of the GLA when it commences production. While a reason was not given, we suspect that Mercedes may be doing this to achieve cost competitiveness. Maybe the German luxury car maker is looking to target an aggressive entry price for relevant markets such as India and China?

Whatever the reason is, this rendering from Auto Motor Und Sport, a German car magazine, is also based on the assumption that the design would be toned down to a more pseudo crossover look.

The GLA would get a skid plate in the front with the ski racks on the roof. These features are more cosmetic than functional. It imitates the styling of the Volvo V40 Cross Country (which would also be its closest rival) and the VW Cross Polo.

The GLA would get 4WD, at least in two of its variants (one petrol and one diesel). The production spec GLA could be shown at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the crossover would make its Indian debut by 2015.

[Source - Auto Motor Und Sport]