Essentially a revised take on the Chinese market A-class Sedan L that bowed in Shanghai back in April, the production version of the Concept A Sedan rides on Benz’s MFA2 front-wheel drive platform, but with slightly different dimensions, namely an overall length of 4 549mm (-60mm), wheelbase of 2 729mm (-60mm) and height of 1 446mm (-14mm). Width is however kept at 1 796mm with the same applying to the 420-litre boot.
Slotting in below the still-to-be-seen new CLA, the A-class Sedan’s interior is carried over from the hatchback, with pride of place going to Benz’s new MBUX infotainment system, displayed on three screen options; seven-inches, seven and 10.25-inches and dual 10.25-inch displays. As with the hatch, access can be gained by saying the phrase, “Hey Mercedes”.
Riding on wheel sizes ranging from 16-19-inches, the sedan also comes equipped with the same assortment of safety and driver assistance tech, such as Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Safe Plus that detects a possible rear-end collision and Active Lane Change Assist.
Underneath its bonnet, the A-class Sedan mirrors its Chinese cousin with the A200 coming powered by the same 120kW/250Nm 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol co-developed with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, while the alliance’s 1.5-litre oil-burner, that produces 85kW/260Nm, will power the A180d.
Later, Mercedes-Benz will also add a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol in the A250 that makes 165kW/350Nm. Standard on all models is a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, with the A250 likely to send its grunt to all four wheels via Benz’s 4Matic all-wheel drive system.
For North America, production will take place later this year at Mercedes-Benz’s Aguascalientes Plant in Mexico, while European spec variants will be sourced from the Rastatt Plant in Germany starting next year.
AMG A35 debuting in Paris, A45 S planned
Aside from the sedan, Mercedes-Benz has not only confirmed that the first of the AMG tweaked models, the A35, would indeed make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, but that an even more powerful A45 will be added soon after the regular model.
According to indianautosblog.com the confirmation was made by Mercedes-Benz Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Dominik Greuel, at the recent unveiling of the updated AMG C63 in Germany.
Already spotted on a number of occasions hiding under black-and-white masking, the A35 will come powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged engine as the A250, but updated to produce 224kW with drive again going to all four wheels.
Effectively confirming a report stemming from last year, Greuel stated that the A45 would indeed spawn an S model, which will reportedly join AMG’s line of 53 models in coming equipped with the 48-volt belt generator for a mild-hybrid setup.
His announcement therefore rules out pervious claims that the A45 might be called A50, or that the likely hybrid model would wear the latter moniker to signify its power hike. Both 45 models are expected to debut next year with the standard version making use of the same 2.0-litre turbocharged motor as the A35, albeit with an output of 298kW.
AMG A-class images from motor1.com
