Get Used to Seeing This Design On Future Mercedes-Benz Small Cars

Mercedes-Benz is showcasing its updated design language via its new Concept A Sedan. While many of its production cars have gradually adopted the new “no folds” philosophy, the Concept A Sedan and earlier AMG GT Concept are the premiere examples of the styling theory.

The flowing bodywork and absence of hard edges is likely a precursor to what Benz will roll out in the coming years, especially after the A Sedan arrived at the Shanghai Motor Show looking like the GT Concept’s baby brother.

Mercedes is definitely sticking to this aesthetic and, when it begins production on its next generation of small cars using the MFA2 architecture, expect gobs of similarities between those vehicles and these concepts. While 2.76 inches shorter and 1.18 inches lower than the present-day CLA, it’s the easiest car to parallel the A Sedan with. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the CLA reemerging with the concept’s more rounded shape and smaller headlamps.

“Our Concept A Sedan shows that the time of creases is over,” said Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler AG, in a media release. “With its perfect proportions and a sensual treatment of surfaces with reduced lines, it is the next milestone of ‘Sensual Purity’ and has the potential to introduce a new design era.”

Adding to the Concept A Sedan’s evolved design scheme is an AMG Panamericana grille, multi-color headlights, panoramic glass roof, and a fairly high beltline. While none of those are guaranteed to make it onto a production vehicle, odds are good that those side windows aren’t going to get much bigger.

Sensual Purity has garnered a lot of praise in recent weeks for its clean lines, but it’s also a little vanilla from some angles. That could be the reason Mercedes keeps showcasing these hypothetical models in hyper-gloss candy apple red instead of the typical silver paint jobs synonymous with modern concept cars. Red is the more exciting color and might keep would-be detractors from realizing just how round the new design actually is. Still, nobody is going to accuse the Benz concepts of having the bubble body of a third generation Ford Taurus.

[Images: Mercedes-Benz]