Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2011 Shanghai Auto Show
Just when there were doubts about the future of Mercedes’ A-Class, the German automaker comes out and releases what is arguably the hottest looking hatchback concept we’ve seen in a while.
This is the Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class, and oh dear Lord, does it look mighty divine. We can’t get enough of the concept’s overall design, especially that sharp as a tack, starry, starry night-inspired grille. Of course, we don’t expect each and every element of the Concept A-Class to make it to the production version, but at the very least, we know the direction Mercedes is taking with their hatch-segment models.
Yeah, no more of those box-shaped, minivan-looking cars whose only redeeming value was that it had the brand’s tri-star logo on it. But the new Concept A-Class really is something else. it’s got edge, it’s got attitude, and it’s got class.
Benz’s first preview of its next-gen small cars came via the F800 Style concept, and this A-class concept moves the design language one step closer to reality. Still, despite this car’s connection to an actual future product, don’t expect everything from the concept on the stand in New York to be duplicated in production.
Benz is very serious about making its next production A-Class a world car – including North America. To that end, even in showcar regalia, the Concept A has perfectly feasible mechanicals: a 2.0-liter, 210-horsepower four-cylinder from Daimler's new M270 range driving the front wheels and shifted by a dual-clutch gearbox. It also appears to be more conventional in chassis construction, eschewing the clever (if costly) 'sandwich' architecture and upright profile of the original 1997 model.
When it finally arrives in production form, the next-generation A-Class will no doubt ride on smaller wheels, have a taller greenhouse, and the engine will likely nestle behind a more conventional grille. Even so, Mercedes will still be on to something if it can preserve the appeal of the Concept A-Class' form factor.
