Affordable Mercedes-Benz A-Class Coming to the U.S. in 2018

If you are waiting to buy a more affordable Mercedes-Benz, your wait is almost over. Mercedes will bring an entry-level A-Class sedan to the U.S. in 2018.

According to a recent report by Automotive News, Mercedes-Benz brass confirmed the sedan’s arrival to dealers in Miami, Fla., this month.

AN says the affordable A-Class sedan will slot below the current CLA four-door, contrary to past reports that said it would land between the CLA and C-Class. The car was presented with a sporty Panamericana grille to dealers at the recent gathering.

When the CLA made its debut in 2013, it was priced just below $30,000 and dealers are hopeful that the new model will be priced competitively to help attract younger buyers into the fold.

The A-Class sedan will ride on the second-generation MFA platform along with the CLA, GLA, and B-Class.

Mercedes revealed an A-Class concept at the Shanghai auto show in the spring. The new model incorporates the company’s “Aesthetics A” sculpture design.

The concept A-Class is slightly shorter, but wider and taller than the current CLA. It measures 179.9 inches long, 73.6 inches wide, and 57.6 inches tall. The four-door sedan concept rolls on 20-inch wheels

“Form and body are what remain when creases and lines are reduced to the extreme. We have the courage to implement this purism”, said Gorden Wagener, Daimler design honcho, in a release earlier this year.

“In combination with perfect proportions and sensual surface design, the upcoming generation of the compact class has the potential to herald a new design era. Design is also the art of omission: the days of creases are over.”

Mercedes says that its designers employ sweeping surfaces at angles to each other to contour the body design with light and shadow and to emphasize the proportions of a three-box design.

Aside from the new A-Class, AN also reports that Mercedes showed dealers a new version of the AMG GT sedan and it confirmed that both new sedans will go on sale in the summer of 2018.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

The post Affordable Mercedes-Benz A-Class Coming to the U.S. in 2018 appeared first on Motor Trend.

from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2sjpvlb