According to Mercedes-Benz senior designer Mark Fetherston, the next generation A-Klasse will feature about 85% of the Concept A styling. The first public debut for the Concept A-Klasse was made at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show, while the North American debut is set for the 2011 New York Auto Show today.
The most interesting aspect of the whole story is that Mercedes Benz confirmed that they are currently working on a Mercedes-Benz A-Klasse AMG model that will incorporate, besides design elements borrowed from the concept, a 350 hp engine, as egmcartech.com writes.
No other details have been mentioned, but the car could probably feature all-wheel-drive thanks to the fact that the platform for the new A-Klasse is similar to the one used for their forthcoming small 4x4 model.
The power for the A-Klasse concept comes from a transversely mounted 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged, direct-injected engine that produces 210 hp with a maximum torque of 229 lb-ft (310 Nm). The transmission featured on the concept car incorporates a dual-clutch gearbox.
The Mercedes Benz A-Klasse concept represents a step forward for the German automaker in one of its key markets: China.
"The Concept A-Class introduces the new Mercedes-Benz design idiom into the compact class in a sculptured, light and expressive interpretation," said Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz.
"We use the term 'captured energy' to express the sheer dynamism exuded by the Concept A-Class. Our formal sources of inspiration were the wind and waves, as well as aviation engineering, resulting in this "cool" look," he added.
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