In addition to the show-stealing S-Class facelift and AMG models, Mercedes-Benz also introduced the Mercedes-Benz Concept A Sedan at Shanghai Auto 2017. The small concept sedan provides and outlook of the next generation compact vehicles and explores a potential new body type.
Upon first sight the Concept A Sedan draws much of its design from other recent Mercedes-Benz concept cars. Finished in the same distinct red hue it draws attention to all angles of its simplified design.
“Our Concept A Sedan shows, that the time of creases is over”, says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler AG. “With its perfect proportions and a sensual treatment of surfaces with reduced lines, it is the next milestone of Sensual Purity and has the potential to introduce a new design era.”
The A-Class and the brand’s other compact vehicles more or less catapulted Mercedes’ most recent design rejuvenation back in 2012 and more than two million compact vehicles have been sold ever since. These comprise the A-Class, B-Class, CLA, CLA shooting brake and GLA models.
The futuristic looking compact car has all the design traits of what the future premium compact sedan could look like. At the rear it boasts similar lines to that of the current generation CLA, while the long and aggressive looking front is something entirely new – except the panamericana grille of course.
Its design revolves around a traditional three-box design featuring short overhangs, a relatively vertical C-pillar, larger side windows and a higher beltline. To emphasize the car’s presence, the concept vehicle sports muscular wheel arches with large 20-inch light alloy wheels.
The car’s headlights are a piece of both technology and art. They feature a grid structure that has been coated with UV paint and is exposed to ultraviolet light. As a result, the headlamps glow in different colors. The same kind of lighting technology is used for the taillights.
Finally the sculpted short-overhang rear has a rather beefy appearance and underlines the car’s premium appeal through black contrasting trims and a chrome strip that runs over the width of the rear. The integrated exhaust deflectors are finished in dark chrome. Additional design features of the Concept A Sedan are dark privacy windows and a panoramic glass roof.