Unlike its famed Bavarian rival, which at one point was almost absorbed by Mercedes-Benz, the Stuttgart automaker continues to cover up and hide its prototype models in chunky plastic armor instead of the psychedelic wraps used by the BMW Group and other carmakers these days.
The five-door hatchback you see pictured in these latest spy shots is the upcoming 2012 A-Class, which has been redesigned to offer Mercedes-Benz a more direct rival to the BMW 1-Series, Audi A3 and to a lesser extent, the Lexus CT 200h.
While Mercedes’ other new proposal in the C-segment, the upcoming B-Class will continue to sport a tall, MPV-like shape and ride on an updated version of the current A- and B-Class models’ sandwich floor, the company took a completely different direction with the new 2012 A-Class.
Not only did Mercedes engineer a new platform, but it also ditched the current A-Class’ semi-minivan shape for a traditional five-door hatchback body.
Mercedes previewed the car’s new and much sportier styling direction at the New York and Shanghai auto shows in April with the three-door A-Class concept, while we gave you a sneak peak of the final design with the official patent images of the 5-door production model in May.
What the 2012 A- and B-Class models will share are the powertrain options including a brand-new range of four-cylinder engines such as a 1.6-liter petrol available with 122HP and 156HP, and a 1.8-liter turbo diesel, offered with 109HP and 136HP.
The more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline unit producing around 200-horses, which was featured in the concept model, is said to be offered shortly after launch.
The new A-Class hatchback will go on sale in Europe during the first half of 2012.
PHOTO GALLERY
