Mercedes-Benz previewed styling themes influencing the look of its next-gen A-Class and B-Class offerings – including a new 4-door sedan intended to take on the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3. Revealed at M-B’s Design Center in Sindelfingen by Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler AG, the Aesthetics A sculpture reflects “the dawn of a more rigorous implementation of Sensual Purity,” a philosophy that he introduced to express modern luxury now embodied throughout the lineup.
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“Form and body are what remain when creases and lines are reduced to the extreme. We have the courage to implement this purism,” Wagener noted at the unveiling. “In combination with perfect proportions and sensual surface design, the upcoming generation of the compact class has the potential to herald a new design era. Design is also the art of omission: the days of creases are over.”
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Although retaining a conventional three-box shape, the Aesthetics A rendering steps into the future by implementing sweeping surfaces that interact with each other in ways that use light and shadow to emphasize both the contours and proportions of its form. The Aesthetics A sculpture also introduces “predator” styled front fascia that includes a variation on the firm’s latest Panamericana grille treatment which will likely be used on AMG-spec versions of the sedan. Even the finish has significance, with M-B execs indicating the “expressive and confident” red will become a new signature color.
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