Mercedes boss gives glimpse of next A-Class
Images of camouflaged hatch on social media previews baby Benz that will be on sale in 2018New disguised images of Mercedes-Benz' next-generation have been posted by Daimler chairman, Dieter Zetsche, on the business social network Linkedin.
The pictures, thought to have been taken on an evaluation drive for senior Mercedes-Benz board members, previews a model that's said to spin off a total of eight different variants that includes a new A-Class sedan.
All, claims Zetche, will come equipped with "more advanced assistance systems to pave the way into the future of autonomous driving" - in other words, it will have self-driving tech from the S-Class limo.
Set to go on sale in 2018, the next-gen A-Class has been created to be a global modal meaning it's certain to be sold in Australia.
Thought to have styling inspired by the Shanghai motor show Concept A, all eight cars will be based on Benz's small car MFA2 architecture.
This should see it come with a longer wheelbase than the current car and slightly lower and wider proportions.
The eight cars thought to be spun off from the A-Class are the new sedan, more practical B-Class, a stylish CLA, a CLA Shooting Brake and two more models - thought to be a coupe and convertible.
Inside, thanks to its more generous proportions, the A-Class hatch will offer more space and practicality than the current car. Interior quality will also be pushed further upmarket with a virtual cockpit dash lifted directly from the latest E-Class.
Under the bonnet the biggest change will be the introduction of a new plug-in petrol hybrid that will offer a pure-electric range of more than 50km.
Like before, a battery-electric version, possibly based once again on the B-Class, will also be offered in some markets.
The majority of all A-Class models will come with front-wheel drive, with Benz's 4MATIC all-wheel drive reserved for the GLA-replacement and high performance models.
Not confirmed, but almost certain to be part of the German car maker's plans is a replacement for the current Mercedes-AMG A45 - expect the next-gen A45 to have in excess of 300kW.
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