Mercedes Benz teases the 2014 GLA Crossover on Facebook

The 2014 Mercedes Benz GLA, an A-Class based crossover, is due for an unveil at a motor show in the coming weeks. Mercedes Benz has already begun teasing images of the GLA Crossover, ahead of its official unveil. The teaser images have hit Mercedes Benz's official Facebook page, an indication that the launch of this crossover is just weeks away. First showcased as a concept at this year's Shanghai Motor Show, the GLA Crossover's production version could be unveiled in September, at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The crossover is the latest car based on Mercedes Benz Modular Front Architecture (MFA) and is India-bound in late 2014/early 2015. The GLA is said to share most of its underpinnings with the A-Class hatchback, save for its design. Both front wheel drive and all wheel drive models of the GLA will be made available, depending on the market that this crossover will be sold in. Rivals to the GLA Crossover include the likes of the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3. 

The GLA Crossover is expected to be priced and positioned higher than the A-Class hatchback. Armed with a higher ground clearance to justify its crossover tag, the GLA is expected to dig into the A-Class's parts bin for engines and transmissions. So, turbo petrol and turbo diesel engines will make their way into the GLA engine bay, while the 7 speed dual clutch automatic gearbox will be the standard transmission option on the higher variants. 

Mercedes Benz India, on the back of strong sales coming from its entry level luxury cars such as the A-Class and B-Class models, has managed to top Audi and BMW, in that order, in terms of July 2013 sales. Now that Mercedes Benz has managed to claw back market share in the Indian car market, launches such as the CLA sedan (due in 2014) and the GLA crossover could serve to keep the sales momentum going.