The first pictures of an undisguised Mercedes-Benz A-class have been posted on the Internet, revealing what the German powerhouse manufacturer has in store for the premium hatch market.
The new car is a completely revised take on the A-class brand, which has historically been saddled with the moniker of a Mommy’s MPV. Its replacement leaves all thoughts of the MPV behind and replaces them with the new, swooping curves of a hatchback.
The change is necessary as the market for premium hatchbacks has heated up over the last decade, superseding the traditional Golf range as the only real player in that segment. Audi’s A3 and BMW’s 1-Series have both done extremely well, and are currently entering their third and second generations respectively, but the A-Class has not been the success its maker was hoping for.
We could argue that it might already be too late for Mercedes-Benz, especially when you look at what Audi is doing with the smaller A1, and the resounding success that it has had with that smaller form factor.
But Mercedes-Benz has a trick or two left, the most prominent being the A-Class A25 AMG, which is due for its public debut at the September Paris Motor Show.
This hottest of A-class models will be fitted with a 2,0-litre turbocharged engine that’s been given the task of out-muscling the 250 kW of the RS3. The powerplant is being developed in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz’s HPE (High Performance Engine) offshoot, which has been responsible for a number of the marque’s Formula1 engines.
Mercedes-Benz is hoping to achieve mainstream success by having the fastest hatchback money can buy as one of the main A-class lures.
Until then, we can look forward to the official unveiling of the A-class in March at the Geneva Motor Show.
