Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz Concept A.
On Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new Concept A sedan at the 2017 Shanghai motor show.The Concept A is the latest exercise in Mercedes design boss Gorden Wagener's "Sensual Purity" design language.
"Our Concept A Sedan shows that the time of creases is over," Daimler AG chief design officer Gorden Wagener said in a statement.
"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."
Up front, the Concept A, with it's prominent grille work and angular headlights, bears a striking resemblance to the high performance AMG division's GT Concept which was unveiled earlier this year in Geneva.
At the same time, its overall design is punctuated by large side mirrors, 20-inch wheels, and a relatively slim greenhouse.
Since the Concept A is a mere design study as this point, Mercedes has not released any detailed technical specs.
Mercedes-Benz
More importantly, the new concept gives Mercedes-Benz customers a glimpse at what the future holds for the most affordable models in the company's lineup - the A Class, B Class, CLA, and GLA.In the US, the CLA and GLA have opened the possibility of Mercedes ownership to a much wider demographic of customers. At the same time, the models have played a crucial role in swaying young entry-level luxury buyers to the three-pointed star and away from rivals.
Mercedes-Benz
"Their success shows that our customers are absolutely delighted with the current generation of Mercedes-Benz compact cars," Daimler AG sales and marketing head Britta Seeger said in a statement. "We are therefore extremely confident that the planned expansion will lead to a continuation of this success story."Even though CLA and GLA sales in the US are down 41.7% and 13.6% respectively through the first quarter of 2017, Mercedes-Benz sales in market is up 4.5%.