Shanghai Motor Show: Mercedes Concept A unveiled

Mercedes-Benz has shown off what could be the basis for its next A-Class at the Shanghai Motor Show.

Dubbed the ‘Concept A’, the compact sedan design heralds that “the time of creases is over,” according to Daimler Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener.

And his words are true to the model. A very rounded face is followed by a curvy body and a “coupe-like” roofline. It’s also sitting on “exclusive” 20-inch wheels, which is nice.

Whether this means we’re about to see a new set of little AMGs getting about is still not certain, but there is potential for a bit more attitude in the Concept A’s design.

It does, however, mean the next of Merc’s hot compacts will probably get the same Panamericana-style grille seen on the AMG GT-R.

The concept comes as Mercedes claims its current compact lineup has its “most successful and rejuvenated appearance ever”.

"Their success shows that our customers are absolutely delighted with the current generation of Mercedes-Benz compact cars," says Daimler’s board member in charge of marketing and sales Britta Seeger.

"We are therefore extremely confident that the planned expansion will lead to a continuation of this success story."

We’re hoping this means Mercedes will continue to give punters plenty of options when it comes to A-Class hot-hatches and AMG varieties thereof.

With a handful of fast compacts currently available in the $50-$100K price range, we suspect we’re looking at the starting point for their younger siblings.

While Mercedes-Benz hasn’t confirmed production of a new A-Class sedan following this design study, we won't be too surprised to see it appear in the next 12 months or so.