#a-class

The production-ready version of the Baby Benz has been rendered via patent drawings, and if you squint really hard, it kind of, sort of looks like the A-Class Concept shown at New York and Shanghai.

Above is a leaked design sketch of what the upcoming Mercedes A-Class may just look like. It’s not yet clear if this look is the final choice by Mercedes, but if it is, it’s obvious the company is taking the A-Class is a bold new direction and away from the urban runabout model currently sold in Europe.

In the past, if you wanted a hopped-up version of an A-Class Mercedes you’d have to talk to one of the many German tuners, like Brabus. But according to a new report Mercedes will develop its own high-performance version of the upcoming A-Class under the AMG brand. Targeting the Volkswagen Golf R, this new model is part of a larger plan by Mercedes to c hallenge VW’s dominance in the lower end of the segment, with several new A and B-Class models including hatchbacks, sedans and even a possible compact or sub-compact crossover.

AMG has made its mark in the auto industry by building immensely powerful engines to propel large and luxurious Mercedes-Benz models to unimaginable speeds. But with Merc now looking at the lower end of the market, AMG is being forced to do so as well. AMG, however, has its own plans.