The A-Class Sedan
The Mercedes-Benz family of compact cars continues to grow: The A-Class Sedan will be launched at the end of 2018, joining the A-Class Hatchback. The dynamic four-door Sedan has a 2,729-millimetre wheelbase and the proportions of a compact car, with short overhangs at the front and rear. It is at the top of its segment with regard to rear headroom. The sedan model also shares familiar A-Class features, including a modern, efficient engine, a high level of safety thanks to state-of-the-art driving assistance systems, and the intuitive and adaptive MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience infotainment system.
The new A-Class Sedan was developed in Sindelfingen, Germany and will be built in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The new model will be presented to the general public for the first time at the Paris Motor Show (October 4-14, 2018). Mercedes-Benz already presented the A-Class L Sedan at this year's Auto China in Beijing in April. That sedan model was developed exclusively as a long-wheelbase version for the Chinese market, and will only be produced in China.
"Things at Mercedes-Benz are happening quickly with regard to the new family of compacts. In response to the wishes of many customers, for the first time we are now offering the A-Class as a sedan," says Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales. "Anyone looking for a compact, sporty sedan now has a new attractive option. It will enable us to win new customers for Mercedes-Benz."
The new generation of compacts has made a key contribution to the rejuvenation and image change of the Mercedes-Benz brand.
In 1997, the A-Class established today's Mercedes-Benz compact car segment; since then, more than six million models have already been delivered worldwide. As the seventh compact model, the A-Class Sedan further expands Mercedes-Benz's range of products. It was a logical addition, because – with the C, E and S-Class – Mercedes-Benz has more premium sedan expertise than most other manufacturers.
The key dimensions of the new A-Class Sedan:
- Length/width/height: 4,549/1,796/1,446 mm
- Wheelbase: 2,729 mm
- Trunk capacity: 420 litres
- Headroom front/rear: 1,024/944 mm
- Elbow room front/rear: 1,457/1,446 mm
- Shoulder room front/rear: 1,400/1,372 mm
- Effective legroom front/rear: 1,062/861 mm
The A-Class Sedan offers great utility, including above-average shoulder, elbow and headroom plus the easy access to the rear. It is at the top of its segment with regard to rear headroom (944 mm). The trunk holds 420 litres and was designed for practical usability, with a very large 950 mm-wide opening that allows comfortable loading and unloading of bulkier luggage items.
Good aerodynamic properties are a crucial factor in achieving low fuel consumption in real-life conditions. A host of details was optimized by employing numerous computation loops, computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulations and measurements in the wind tunnel in Sindelfingen. The measures that were taken to improve the vehicle's aerodynamics also include an extensive sealing concept (i.e. sealing the headlamp surroundings et al.) as well as the nearly complete underbody panelling, which comprises the engine bay, the main floorplan, parts of the rear axle, the diffuser and other components. The front and rear wheel spoilers were optimized specifically to route the air around the wheels as efficiently as possible. The rims and tires also underwent aerodynamic fine-tuning.
The A-Class Sedan will come in two versions: the A 220 and A 220 4MATIC (188 hp, 221 lb-ft), each with a 7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission.
Equipment and appointments: KEYLESS-GO with available HANDS-FREE ACCESS
The entry-level model is already extensively equipped, with standard features including a panoramic sunroof, MBUX infotainment system with touchscreen, and latest-generation driving assistance systems such as Active Brake Assist. The A-Class Sedan can also be customized with the Sport and Night Packages, in addition to further optional equipment.
KEYLESS-GO with HANDS-FREE ACCESS will be one of the available options, for example. The HANDS-FREE ACCESS convenience function enables hands-free and fully automatic opening of the trunk lid with a kicking motion of the foot under the rear bumper.
Design: superior sportiness and modern styling
The A-Class Sedan aligns seamlessly with Mercedes-Benz's Sensual Purity design idiom: its clear, formal shapes emphasize surface areas with reduced lines and precise gaps. The dynamic new A-Class Sedan has the proportions of a compact sedan with short front and rear overhangs.
The A-Class Sedan has a sporty stance on the road thanks to 17- to 18-inch wheels and pronounced wheel arches. The greenhouse, which sits far back, combines with the compact rear end to lend the vehicle a dynamic visual boost.
The front end design looks very progressive, with a low, elongated hood, slimline LED headlamps with chrome element, flashlight-like LED daytime driving lights, and the single-louvre diamond radiator grille with a central star.
Below the vehicle's smooth, muscular shoulder, a precise character line emphasizes the perfectly contoured side section; its side mirrors sit at the beltline.
The rear of the vehicle has been designed to emphasize its width, which is underscored by two-part tail lamps. Depending on the selected equipment, this rear bumper is available with a black diffuser or with a chrome trim strip and chrome tailpipe tips.
Interior design: a revolution from within
The interior of the new A-Class has a modern, avant-garde look. Mercedes-Benz has taken a completely new approach, revolutionising the compact class from the inside with a new feeling of spaciousness. In particular, the vehicle's unique interior architecture is shaped by the dashboard's avant-garde design. The designers completely dispensed with a cowl above the cockpit. The dashboard trim piece extends from one front door to the other with no visual discontinuity, and the optional Widescreen display is completely free-standing. The sporty, turbine-style air vents are another highlight.
Below the main dashboard is a low-lying section ("lower dashboard wing") that appears to float, as there are no visible connections or shape transitions to the surrounding area; ambient lighting enhances this effect. The 64 colours of the optional ambient lighting also set standards in this segment: the different colours are arranged into ten colour themes to allow an avant-garde lighting display with spectacular colour changes.
The fully freestanding cockpit is available in two versions: two 7-inch displays (17.78 cm); and two 10.25-inch displays (26 cm).
MBUX - Mercedes-Benz User Experience
The new A-Class is the first Mercedes-Benz model to feature the completely new MBUX - Mercedes-Benz User Experience multimedia system, which also ushers in a new era for Mercedes me connectivity. As a result, it also comes standard in the A-Class Sedan. A unique feature of this system is its ability to learn thanks to artificial intelligence. MBUX is customizable and adapts to the user, thus creating an emotional connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers.
Depending on the specification, its further strengths can include smartphone integration featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a high-resolution Widescreen Cockpit with touchscreen-enabled media display, a navigation display with augmented reality technology, plus intelligent voice control with natural speech recognition, which is activated with the keyword "Hey Mercedes." A head-up display is also available via special order. The touchscreen is part of the comprehensive MBUX touch-control concept: a triad consisting of the touchscreen, touchpad on the centre console and touch control buttons on the steering wheel.
MBUX is a revolution of the in-car user experience. Appealing features underscore the simplicity of the control structure and thrill through brilliant 3-D maximum-resolution graphics which are calculated and displayed in real time.
New and improved Mercedes me connect services are being launched with the new generation MBUX infotainment system. These include navigation functions that are based on Car-to-X Communication (information transmitted from vehicle-to-vehicle about events recorded by sensors, e.g. emergency braking, ESP® intervention, or a manual system message from the driver about something like an accident), and Vehicle Tracking, which makes it easier to find the parked car.
The Mercedes me app collection can be placed as an icon on the screen in a user-friendly way and can be freely sorted on the homepage like all other main applications. In addition, online content such as current gas station prices or the availability of parking spaces in a multi-storey car park can be optionally displayed in MBUX. Online updating is a simple way of allowing new content to be made available in MBUX.
Driving Assistance Features
The A-Class has the very latest driving assistance systems with cooperative driver support, and thus provides the highest level of active safety in this segment.
The new A-Class comes with expanded Active Brake Assist as standard. Depending on the situation, this feature can effectively help to mitigate or prevent the consequences of rear-end collisions with slower-moving, stopping, or stationary vehicles ahead, and even with crossing pedestrians and cyclists.
Passive safety: a highly stable passenger compartment and modern restraint systems
The new A-Class is also the first Mercedes-Benz model to have been developed at the new Technology Centre for Vehicle Safety (TFS). The vehicle structures' design incorporates findings from research into real accidents. Every single body shell component was developed according to the loads and stresses that were encountered in terms of geometry, material thickness, joining technology and material quality (increased proportion of high-strength and ultra-high-strength sheet steel).
The centrepiece of the body's safety concept is the highly rigid passenger compartment. Its rigidity when subjected to accident-induced stress – e.g. in frontal, lateral or rear-end collisions, and rollovers – results from greater use of high-strength, ultra-high-strength, and press-hardened sheet steel.
Driver and front passenger each have a three-point seat belt with belt force limiter and belt tensioner. Both of the outer rear seats are fitted with a seat belt that has a reel tensioner and belt force limiter. The new A-Class is equipped with driver and front passenger airbags, a driver's knee airbag and window airbags as standard. Unlike in many competing models, the window airbag also covers the A-pillar for more complete passenger protection. Thorax-pelvis side airbags are likewise standard in the front.
MULTIBEAM LED headlamps: optimum visibility in all conditions
Optional MULTIBEAM LED headlamps are another example of technology transfer from the luxury to the compact class. They allow extremely quick and precise, electronically controlled adjustment of the high beams to suit the current traffic situation. Each headlamp features 18 individually actuated LEDs. The daylight-like light colour of the LEDs is easy on the eyes and has a positive effect on concentration. The road ahead is precisely and brightly illuminated. LED High Performance headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lamps are standard.
Suspension: agile and comfortable
The lineup of wheels ranges from 17 to 18 inches. The new A-Class is fitted with a front axle that features a McPherson design, as well as a complex four-link rear axle.
Production in Aguascalientes, Mexico
Production of the new A-Class Sedan will start in Aguascalientes this year. The COMPAS (Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes) joint-venture production plant in Central Mexico will expand the compact-car production network at Mercedes-Benz Cars to five locations on three continents. COMPAS is a project that's come out of cooperation with the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Daimler and Nissan each hold 50% of the shares in COMPAS.
About Mercedes-Benz Canada
Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,700 people in 21 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 11 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 48 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 52,298 vehicles in 2017. This represents the best year ever for the company and has positioned Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury manufacturer in Canada for the fourth consecutive year.
For more information, please contact:
JoAnne Caza 416-847-7550 joanne.caza@mercedes-benz.ca
Sinead Brown 416-847-7588 sinead.brown@mercedes-benz.ca
Further information from Mercedes-Benz Canada is available at media.mercedes-benz.ca
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