Mercedes-Benz To Move CLA Over $30K - Will That Be A Barrier To The Target Demographic?

NO because anyone who knows anything already knows that the CLA sells for about 35K on average already. Absolutely nothing to question here.

Right, and with the factories barely able to keep up with orders as it is, and the CLA opening up the gap between its nearest rival the A3, I'm surprised the "increase" was not made sooner

In other words classic supply/demand=price

I am having a very hard time trying to figure out WHY the factories can't keep up. I think it's because of the NAME MB. I test drove one of these when I took my wife's GLK in for its service. It has a beautiful interior, super nice looking exterior design. However the engine is LOUD AS HELL inside the cabin; road like a dang lumber truck; and many of the materials used felt cheap to the touch.

I absolutely hate when these PREMIUM brands try to cater to every person driving. I love MB, BMW and my current Audi 6er. But I hate when they try to be all things to all people. Make this car quieter please and upgrade the interior touch materials like the other models in your lineup please.

I'll answer your question. I myself am in my 20's and unlike many of my peers I like you put a big emphasis on ride quality, materials used, and overall fit and finish, therefore the CLA does not make my short list but being 6'3 many cars similar to CLA's size never will period

HOWEVER

I test drove the CLA with some friends and talked the dealer into giving it to me for the weekend, as I purchased my car from them and have referred several colleagues. Let me tell u EVERY teen, twenty something and thirty something was ooooooohing and ahhhhhing everywhere we went, the car ended up on more intagram/Facebook post and tweets than I could count, and not one person complained about the ride because they were too busy taking selfies with the car or playing with Apple plug and play, it was mind boggling

Mercedes did their research, they knew whom this car was targeting and what really mattered to them, Style/image/swag was at the top, efficiency a close second along with reliability/affordability, so far the car is delivering

I agree, C4L. I knew Mercedes knew the target market they were aiming for and exactly what needed to go into this car to be successful. No matter how much people wanted to bash the styling or how useless the backseat was, a stylish entry-level Mercedes was going to be successful with the right demographic. Yes, the interior materials may not be the highest, but they're better than most non-premium brands' interiors. As far as the ride quality, I never detected anything harsh and if it's there, it won't bother those stepping into a luxury brand for the first time. Then, they'll want to step up to the C-Class when their years with the CLA are done :-)

Also Gkearns56, word is MB is upgrading materials used and reducing cabin noise for 2016 models. It turns out execs weren't sure if the CLA would last more than a generation, it was more like a one off experience, but after sales shot out the roof with no sign of letting up, execs quickly decided to make additional upgrades to make the CLA a Benz as it is now here to say and proven its worth.

That incremental price increase won't be a deterrent. It loses its "sub-$30k marketing tagline", but everyone pretty much laughed at that anyway.

A price increase from $29k to 31.5k is $2600, or 8.62%. Only idiots fall for that advertising angle. I have never seen one of these under $35k in my area market...so now I guess there will be none under $37.6k.

The increase was from $29.9k to $31.5k.

@C4L: Does this mean you and I have more common sense then to buy the CLA, just because it's a MB. I totally agree with you about some people just want to say "I drive a MB". I don't look at my car purchases like that at all. I like my cars to be cool looking, nice design but I also know I have to drive this to work almost an hour each way. I sure in hell not going to listen to that 4 banger turbocharge LOUD engine.

I can't believe when I test drove a CLA while waiting for my oil change on wife's GLK, how LOUD this car was inside the cabin. There ABSOLUTELY is a step DOWN in the quality of material used inside the cabin. They had to "save" pennies somewhere and the quality of the dash and touch of some of the knobs felt cheap.

As I said before this exterior design on the car is pretty cool. But like many of the other car manufacturers, MB, Audi and BMW have decided to pander to EVERYONE who drives know. I use to drive BMWs; wife MB. I've moved over to Audi since I now have immediate family who work for Audi. I like their "clean" design and high quality interiors.

If you are going to build a car the kids want just because it's a MB, BMW or Audi on it at least have "stones" to put QUALITY interiors in them, sound proofing materials REGARDLESS of the COST. If those folks can't afford them, then buy the Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas etc, but don't water down your brand imagine like this.

So, I'm curious. When is the last time you drove a car in the class of a CLA, prior to your test drive? I ask this because I drove the Acura TLX after 3 years driving my S5. When I got into the TLX, I thought it was loud, handled badly, had inferior materials. But then I test drove other cars in its class and realized that it was actually right in line with every other car (328i/428i, IS250, Q50, C300). I expected the TLX it to drive and feel like my S5 which cost almost $30k more.
After driving numerous cars I test drove the CLA250 and felt it was directly in line with any other car in the class above, from handling, power, ride, material quality, etc. And it felt and sounded better than the previous A3's and A4's I've had as loaner cars.
Basically, it's all about perspective, knowing that you drive an A6 or S6.