After it served as a basis for the CLA and GLA, the third generation of the A-Class is due to be retired and its successor has already been spotted in the wild.
Celebrating its development kick off by heading to the streets, the W176 will retain the same compact hatch form that positions it against the likes of the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3. However, talking about its design language could be tricky, since the scooped mule carries some of the panels of the current iteration, adorned with plastic body cladding.
Technical revisions, apart from the possible introduction of new engines, could include a new modular platform, according to previous reports, which will retain its front-wheel drive abilities and underpin the next CLA, B-Class and GLA as well. Since the whole car will likely be subjected to a diet, it should come out with improved handling, better fuel consumption and dropped CO2 emissions.
Unlike the current model, which only comes as a five-door hatchback, the its replacement could see the introduction of more body styles and rumor has it might spawn a two-door Shooting Brake variant and a BMW 1-Series Sedan rival.
Since the next Mercedes-Benz A-Class hasn’t been included in Daimler’s road map for 2017, chances are it will hit the market in 2018, probably as a 2019 MY.