[booker]

Mercedes Riding Shooting Brake Renaissance

With Automakers slicing up niches in an effort to bolster sales from unlikely areas, Mercedes has been steadily at work riding the renaissance of shooting brake styled vehicles. With the release of their CLS shooting brake, Mercedes is leading the way in this segment, albeit out of range for most consumers.

That’s about to change with the release of the baby CLS, the CLA, an opportunity to expand the shooting brake niche. Meet the new CLA shooting brake.

Set to launch in 2014, Mercedes has decided on a shooting brake variant of the CLA saloon instead of exploring true coupe or convertible options for the CLA and A class. Mercedes Design Chief Gordon Wagener was quoted as saying “we don’t need a sports car, the market is declining.”

Desirability is difficult to bake into a product because of its dependence on perception and word of mouth, Mercedes is banking on desirability to fuel growth in this segment. Mercedes is producing cars that are not simply a pure luxury play, but something to have because of look and sound, bringing a new dimension to Mercedes ownership.

 

[brianch]

are we serious?

that thing looks hideous.

 

[LawRens]

As a friend had put it: "A testament to Mercedes's determination to fill every niche market."

The statement was originally applied to the w218 CLS Shooting Brake, but it definitely applies here as well.

 

[Tonyride]

Looks like the wagon version (I hate the term Shoot Brake so I refuse to use it) will increase the rear head room that everyone is complaining about. That's about the only positive I can say about it.

 

[BenzFan]

I was expecting more of a sloping roof, which in my opinion, would look better. But I guess the design showed above will grow on me. At least it's a design that allows the shooting brake CLA to be more functional than one with a sloping roof line.

 

[brianch]