The three-pointed star ended 2017 with a teaser video of the all-new A-Class undergoing winter testing. In anticipation of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show premiere of the W177, the premium-oriented compact hatchback is the subject of renderings passed by some publications as “leaked photos.”
Spoiler alert: they’re nothing but renderings made possible by combining the silhouette of pre-production prototypes with styling influences from the CLS. A reverse image search on the culprit reveals that the source image comes is based on the facelifted A-Class from 2015. As for the origin of the renderings, Japanese publication Response appears to be it.
To the defense of the Photoshop artist, the real deal is extremely similar to the pixel work here, making the W177 one of the sharpest-looking models in the segment. Eat your heart out, BMW 1 Series! The more alluring exterior is complemented by a roomier interior, which comes courtesy of the longer and wider MFA 2 platform that boasts a more generous wheelbase.
Daimler’s chief designer officer Gorden Wagener made it clear the A-Class will be the best-in-class at interior design, and based on the official photographs published by Mercedes-Benz only recently, he wasn’t bluffing. The E- and S-Class-inspired cockpit looks the part and brings forth a lot of toys, including an all-new infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.
Initial specifications for the W177 reveal that the wheelbase increased by 30 millimeters, front and rear tracks by 16 and 14 millimeters, front headroom and elbow room by 7 and 35 millimeters, and trunk capacity by 39 liters. The rear suspension is confirmed to come in two flavors: torsion beam for low-end models and five-link setup for the rest of the lineup.
In addition to conventional engines such as the newly-developed 1.3 TCe, the A-Class will receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of 50 kilometers on electric power alone. There’s also a battery-powered EV in the works, which is expected to bear the name EQ A.
To the defense of the Photoshop artist, the real deal is extremely similar to the pixel work here, making the W177 one of the sharpest-looking models in the segment. Eat your heart out, BMW 1 Series! The more alluring exterior is complemented by a roomier interior, which comes courtesy of the longer and wider MFA 2 platform that boasts a more generous wheelbase.
Daimler’s chief designer officer Gorden Wagener made it clear the A-Class will be the best-in-class at interior design, and based on the official photographs published by Mercedes-Benz only recently, he wasn’t bluffing. The E- and S-Class-inspired cockpit looks the part and brings forth a lot of toys, including an all-new infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.
Initial specifications for the W177 reveal that the wheelbase increased by 30 millimeters, front and rear tracks by 16 and 14 millimeters, front headroom and elbow room by 7 and 35 millimeters, and trunk capacity by 39 liters. The rear suspension is confirmed to come in two flavors: torsion beam for low-end models and five-link setup for the rest of the lineup.
In addition to conventional engines such as the newly-developed 1.3 TCe, the A-Class will receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of 50 kilometers on electric power alone. There’s also a battery-powered EV in the works, which is expected to bear the name EQ A.