Spy shots of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class: minor updates announced.
Mercedes-Benz is updating its compact range, the latest prototype being the GLA-Class crossover.
The GLA-Class will soon become Mercedes' entry-level model in the U.S., as the A-Class sedan will be discontinued for the 2022 model year. The coupe-like CLA-Class will survive.
The new A-Class sedan and hatchback are expected to be unveiled later this year. The revamped GLA-Class should arrive early in 2023, most likely as a 2024 model.
Judging from the prototypes, the grille and headlight internals should be redesigned. The front mask will likely be new, and the taillight internals will likely be new as well.
On the interior, the dashboard will be changed and the latest version of Mercedes' MBUX infotainment system will be installed. The center console is also expected to be tweaked, and the current model's scroll pad will likely be eliminated with this update.
No major changes are expected in the powertrain department; the GLA-Class is currently offered in the U.S. only with a 2.0-liter inline-4 turbo. The base grade has a maximum output of 221 hp, while the AMG GLA 35 and GLA 45 grades have 302 hp and 382 hp, respectively. Both are equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard on most grades, but is available on the base grade.
A plug-in hybrid option, available overseas starting in 2019, may finally be introduced here with this update, although Mercedes has yet to mention this possibility. An electric version of the EQA is also sold abroad, but it will not be headed this way. Instead, there is a GLB-class-based EQB that will arrive this summer as a 2023 model.
Further down the road, the GLA-Class will move to Mercedes' MMA platform when it is redesigned around mid-decade; the MMA platform is designed for vehicles up to the size of the C-Class and is an electric vehicle that can support an internal combustion engine in hybrid configuration It is considered a platform.