Mercedes Increasing CLA Supply to Meet Continued Demand

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class (Credit: © Mercedes-Benz)

The Mercedes-Benz CLA is a true example of “if you build it, they will come” as it is one of the hottest-selling Mercedes models despite its small size, not-too-powerful engine and cramped back seat. I can only assume that seeing a Mercedes star and a price tag that reads “$29,900” is the perfect formula for buyers to hand their wallets to dealerships.

In the last four months of 2013 alone, 14,113 CLAs found driveways and garages to call home in the U.S. Those are amazing numbers for a $30,000 compact sedan, but things cooled off slightly in 2014, as only 15,676 CLAs left dealerships as of the end of August. However, don’t confuse the dwindling numbers with falling interest, rather the falling sales are due to extremely limited stock. This is evident by the huge upswing in sales in July and August of this year, which was just after Mercedes upped production of the small sedan by adding a third shift to the plant that produces the CLA.

Being the genius businesspeople they are, Mercedes’ bean counters decided that since the increase in production directly resulted in increased sales, they might as well up total allocation for the U.S. This announcement comes from an interview that Dieter Zetsche gave Automotive News. He couldn’t give an exact number for this increased allocation, but he did state that the company’s estimates show that it could have doubled CLA sales in the U.S. if adequate stock were available.

Zetsche did not give a timetable for the increased allocation, but it should be soon, as the company needs to capitalize on demand while the market is hot. Plus, the new BMW 1 Series Sedan is just around the corner, and Mercedes needs to gobble up as many sales as possible before BMW’s small sedan arrives to give buyers another option.