2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Concept First Look

Mercedes' A-Class has historically been a four-door hatchback more concerned with environmentally friendly utilitarian duties than making a statement about style. For the 2011 New York and Shanghai Auto Shows, Mercedes intends to change that frumpy image with an aggressively styled concept that looks more performance hot-hatch than green hipster-hauler, taking the A-Class in an entirely new direction. Thought it is just a concept, it might show the direction the front-wheel drive platform is headed-one that will appeal to a more youthful and enthusiastic buyer.

Looking ready to go head-to-head with the likes of the Audi A3 and Volvo C30, the A-Class Concept is powered by a 210-horsepower 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged I-4 mated to a dual-clutch transmission. In hot-hatch tradition, this powertrain is splayed out transversely across the front of the car.

The design language seen on this new A-Class first appeared on another concept, the F800 Style shown at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. The body consists of free-flowing surfaces accented with sharp creases. Mercedes states that the styling was influenced by wind and waves and reflects aviation engineering. This theme is reflected in the interior, with see-through fabric stretched over a skeletal structure. The vents, instrumentation, and shifter all reflect avionic controls, looking minimalist and very futuristic at the same time.

The A-Class Concept is stuffed with technology. Mercedes boasts of being the first in the compact segment to offer a radar-based collision avoidance system and adaptive brake technology. The system audibly and visually warns inattentive drivers about possible collisions while preparing the braking system for an immediate and powerful stop. Infotainment details are handled by a fully integrated smartphone and use a three-dimensional dash display formed of magenta-colored laser lines. The interior seats four in separate buckets, and one long center console is shared by both the front and rear seats.

Rumors of Mercedes bringing the A-Class to the American market have been brewing for years. It looks like we may be one step closer, but in an entirely unexpected form. Instead of a smallish people-mover, it may very well end up being an upscale performance hatchback. There is even a possibility it may turn into multiple A-Class vehicles. We will get our first look at the concept in New York later this month. Maybe Mercedes will have more information about future plans then.

Volkswagen's MQB Platform: From VW Bulli to Audi A3 Sedan

A vital new Volkswagen Group compact platform begins to roll out on VWs and Audis next year. The Geneva auto show gave a few hints, but Motor Trend has uncovered more details.

VW Group will build 30 models off the MQB, or Modularer Querbaukasten, which translates as modular transverse-engine kit. It covers everything above the tiny "New Small" series of cars (the VW Up! and relatives) and below the modular longitudinal cars, the smallest of which is the Audi A4. It can be built in 103.5-, 101.8- and 98.2-inch wheelbases, the last for the next VW Polo, Audi TT, and A1.

Flexibility and reduced production costs are key. VW claims 20-percent cost savings compared with the current generation of VW/Audi compacts. VW Group will use the savings to improve content and build quality while bolstering corporate profit.

Geneva's Audi A3 sedan and VW Bulli concepts both use the platform. They demonstrate tread width and seat height flexibility, the relatively compact overhang enabled by the new front crash structure, and the use of lightweight materials in more expensive models. The A3 is a pretty accurate preview of the real sedan launching in calendar 2013. It sits below the A4 in the range, but will have a wider body and track width than the A3 hatchback that is launching next year.

"The A3 sedan's design, being transverse-engined, is shorter and lower than the more elegant A4," says Audi Group design chief Wolfgang Egger. "The wheelbase is 103.5 inches. It also has a lower seating position than the other transverse cars." The next A3 sedan and cabrio will use the low and wide proportion, while the Sportsback and hatch will be narrower and taller.

The interior is a big step forward from the current A3's, Egger says. The climate control unit is broken down into subassemblies, the bulkiest of which are moved from the center stack outboard, to free up dash space, so the car will use a horizontal dash panel like the concept's. Lightened seat frames will free up rear space.

Audi's MQBs will use significant aluminum in the body, said Michael Dick, the brand's engineering director. "We can do different hang-on parts such as fenders and doors and hoods. But also in the structural floorpan, the crossmember, and the longitudinals can be aluminum, depending on which plant we build it at. So the A3 has more lightweight potential than the Golf."

The new platform is protected for all powertrains-gasoline, diesel, pure EV, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid. The A3 Sedan concept uses the five-cylinder transverse engine from the TT RS, which also powers the RS3 just released in Europe, and the quattro concept. VW is responsible for developing the basic MQB, and its first car off the platform is the seventh-generation Golf, coming in late 2012. VW's MQB Geneva concept was the Bulli microvan.

The Bulli might join the production portfolio about 2015, VW engineering chief Ulrich Hackenberg told MT. "The wheelbase and track and front overhang are possible. It can crash." The concept's flat floor is not possible for production, however.

Jonathan Browning, head of VW's sales company in the U.S., wants it produced. "This goes back to our U.S. heritage, and the strength of our brand. This is compact but roomy. It sits under the minivan segment." It's smaller than the 2001 Microbus concept, which would have required European production even though its main market would have been the U.S.

The Bulli has a better chance because it's small enough to sell globally. It sits on the same 103.5-inch wheelbase as the A3 sedan, which also serves the next-gen Euro Passat.

VW-Audi Group platforms in full

NEW Small Family or NSF: A VW brand-developed platform that serves the VW Up! unveiled late 2011, plus electric versions of same, a SpaceUp micro-MPV, and a Skoda variant. Audi considered using it, but designers said it felt too insubstantial. So a new A2 will now be built on the MQB, using a lot of aluminum.

MQB: See story above. Developed by VW. Does everything transverse-engined above the NSF. Launching as the new Audi A3 next year, with Golf and Seat versions following very shortly. (Audi A1 and Q3, American Passat, Mexican Jetta, and 2012 Beetle are the last cars on old transverse platforms.) Can also do crossovers.

MLB: modular longitudinal. Developed by Audi. Entails A4, A5, A6, A7, and A8, so it can do steel and aluminum and mixed-material bodies, and includes crossovers.

Mitsubishi's Future Car Plans, Confirmed

Mitsubishi will kill the Eclipse and Galant models to concentrate on B- and C-segment models, including the Lancer, Outlander Sport, and a lineup likely to be based largely on the Colt, including a small crossover. We first revealed the product plan, sort of, a year ago in April 2010 "Trend."

We presented two scenarios. One, reported from Tokyo, said Mitsubishi was considering a hybrid-powered Evolution XI. The other, from Detroit, suggested the concentration on B- and C-cars, though it didn't predict the expiration of the long-forgotten Eclipse.

The second scenario is much closer to the automaker's emerging plans. If there is an Evo XI, it will probably be based on the B-segment Colt. Think of Ford's Fiesta-based rally car, and you get a good picture of Mitsubishi's direction. As a niche automaker in the U.S. and elsewhere, Mitsubishi also will build up its electric and hybrid powerplants, featuring its i-Miev pure electric. Mitsubishi has showed a Chevrolet Volt-style plug-in gas/electric hybrid, and if it makes it into production, it's likely to power a new B-segment crossover or a future version of the Outlander Sport.

Mitsubishi, which early in the last decade was bigger in the United States than Subaru, sold just 55,683 cars and trucks here last year, up about 1700 units from 2009. Much of that came from its Normal, Illinois, assembly plant, which will concentrate on its compact platform in the future.

Last year's best-seller was Mitsubishi's Lancer, with 21,416 units sold.

New Ford Focus RS: Will it Happen?

Ford engineers say they know what sort of car a new Focus RS would be. They also say it would make a profit. (The previous Europe-only Focus RS sold out.) But if top management thinks the development cash would get a better return used in another way, there's no certainty the Focus RS will get the investment.

The engine would have to develop about 350 horsepower. The last Focus RS did 300 horses, with a special 350-horsepower final edition, using a modified Volvo five-cylinder 2.5-liter engine. The new one would be a hot EcoBoost four. Can capacity stretch beyond the 2.0 liters of the 250-horse Focus ST? It can, according to Ford's global hot-car and competitions strategy chief, Jost Capito, though he won't say by how much.

The hottest Focus will be front drive, not AWD, says Joe Bakaj, until recently Ford of Europe's engineering boss. The platform has AWD capability, as proved by the Vertrek concept crossover that will replace the Kuga and Escape.

Front drive would save considerable weight -- about 200 pounds. Otherwise it would be hard to open up a significant performance gap over the Focus ST, and with the weight of AWD, economy and agility would suffer. So would cost.

What about torque steer and traction limitations? The new electric power steering system can be programmed to counter torque steer, Bakaj explains. The 'Revoknuckle' axle developed for the old RS, a non-turning strut with a pivoted hub, reduced the rotational leverage the tire contact patches imposed on the steering axis. It did a good job of keeping the car going where the driver pointed. "Imagine what you could do by combining Revoknuckle with EPS," Bakaj muses.

Meanwhile, the electronic stability system's torque vectoring function on the new Focus is claimed to make a reasonably effective substitute for a limited-slip diff, allowing the chassis designers the freedom to use a stiff front anti-roll bar (without limited-slip, a stiff bar reduces traction by unweighting the inner wheel). We're skeptical of any scheme that relies on brakes to help acceleration.

So there you are. A hatchback with 350 horsepower or so, a six-speed transmission, front drive with Revoknuckle front suspension, and control blades at the rear.

It would have 20-inch wheels and a stiff, agile chassis. It could weigh as little as 3200 pounds, hit 60 mph in little more than 5 seconds, and crack 160 mph.

Such a machine would need to be identifiable, so expect a new front face and body kit, plus wider wheel arches and sills. With the new Focus's cabin quality and available electronics content, it would be a car to run with the BMW 1 Series M and Euro Audi RS3.

So, enthusiasts of the world, start bothering your dealer. If there's enough pressure, Ford might just give it the green light. The ingredients and the plan are all ready.