Mercedes’ A-Class apart

The centre-piece of Mercedes-Benz’ Pavillion at the 2020 Auto Expo was the brand new A-Class . The A-Class sedan will make its on-road debut in June but Mercedes-Benz has announced that prebookings are open. In the family stable the A-Class slots just under the CLA four-door coupe.On the outside, the A-Class gets a smoother design language with rounded-out edges, a design theme that continues right down to the wrap-around headlights.

The slightly more obtuse angle on the A-Pillar paired with a sloping coupe-like Dpillar, give the A-Class a functional roofline without taking away from the overall form.

As a result, seating 5 should not be much of an issue. On the inside, most notably the AClass’ dual-screen layout is the centrepiece. It also gets equipment such as a panoramic sliding sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, electronically adjustable seats with memory function and wireless charging. The new generation instrument/ infotainment setup will show the instrument display in one half of the screen and the infotainment in the other. That aside, you get Mercedes’ signature turbine aircon vents and some gadgetry that’s already on the GLA SUV. Mercedes-Benz will offer five interior upholstery options aside from standard trim along with 5-exterior colours options although this hotyellow is likely to be AMG-only.

Under the hood, the GLA will get two engine options, a petrol and a diesel, a 1.5-litre petrol motor and a 2.0-litre diesel both will be BS VI compliant. Being a hot off the press model, we can also safely expect the latest generation of the MBUX infotainment with voice-commands. In terms of safety, the AClass will get 7-airbags as standard and a mild autonomous system with lane-keep assist. Once launched expect the A-Class to command a considerable premium over the A-Class hatch which starts at Rs 35 lakh. Expect a launch price of around Rs 40 lakh.

The A35 AMG was on display to give us an idea of what A-Class will look like once its launched in India. While the interiors might get some special seats and red stitching aside from which the interiors you see hear should give you a fair idea of what it will be like on the inside. Although the rims and the A35s 2.0-litre turbo are an AMG only feature, the smart wrap around LED tail-lamps do look tremendous.