Mercedes CLA - Yet Another Non-Existent Niche Filled

German manufacturers seem to be on a roll recently for introducing new cars into niches that no-one ever wanted - step forward BMW X6 and BMW 3-Series GT - and now Mercedes wants in on the act with its new CLA model.

Unveiled recently in Detroit - somewhat buried by Corvette news - the Mercedes CLA is a four-seat, four-door coupe based on the existing A-Class and B-Class hatch models. The new CLA bears the same range of straight-4 petrol and diesel engines and has the lowest drag coefficient of any production car ever at 0.23. Joining the A45 AMG later this year, the CLA range will be topped by a 350hp, 4WD CLA45 AMG.

However we can't quite work out what it's for. Aside from being more expensive than the A-Class, it's larger, more expensive and seats fewer people than the existing (and rear-wheel drive) C-Class. Mercedes has clearly identified a market for sedan versions of small cars that are bigger and more expensive than medium cars... somehow.

Despite all these questions, however, it's certainly prettier than the similarly priced BMW 1-series and AMG has been hard at work ensuring it'll be quicker too, despite losing its lead chassis engineer to BMW's M department recently.

Even less clear on purpose is a rumoured CLA shooting brake model for next year - but who doesn't love a shooting brake variant?

While we'll continue to wonder about the CLA's real purpose, Mercedes is trying to persuade us that it's all about soul...