A closure latch for a vehicle body deck lid or the like includes a striker mounted to the deck lid for movement with the deck lid and being positioned thereon to be in operative relation to a latch member in the form of a wedge plate slidably mounted on the vehicle body. The wedge plate is reciprocable between an unlatched position, a latched position and a release position with movement from the unlatched position to the latched position and from the latched position to the release position being power assisted so that during final closure, the wedge plate is power driven to effect latching whereby the deck lid is firmly forced into closure contact against the vehicle body with a weather seal therebetween and whereby further power movement of the wedge plate will effect a power-assisted unlatching of the deck lid, a releasable detent mechanism being used to hold the wedge plate in a latched position.