Mercedes is headed to the IAA show in Munich in September with all of its electric vehicles, the first time the entire group’s been assembled for show. Surprises will be part of the show plan as well, starting with a new concept for the “entry luxury” segment of Mercedes’ lowest-priced segment. There are no details on the concept that could inform new A-, B-, and CLA-Class offerings save for the teaser image above. A close look at the high-res version shows an A-pillar mounted mirror with an aerodynamic stalk, shutlines for four doors, and what might be a shutline for an exceptionally curt trunk instead of a hatch. Far more intriguing than all of that, the white lines sweeping from front to rear appear to be lights. We say this because in the lightened version below, both lines disappear into openings in the doors. That detail doesn’t stop them from being merely dramatic strokes on a concept render, but now we won’t be surprised to see wraparound lights in Munich.
Mercedes continues to do brisk sales of its compact offerings in Europe, the A Class, B-Class, and CLA-Class selling nearly 80,000 units combined through the first half of this year on The Continent. Last year, the carmaker sold nearly 600,000 entry-level cars around the world, including 20,000 sales from Smart, accounting for about 29% of total sales. Automaker CEO Olla Kallenius is less about volume and more about profit margins, though, targeting a company-wide margin of 14 percent. Mercedes will certainly focus on getting higher prices for its new cars, that might also mean the cars go more upscale to make a better pitch to consumers. Last we heard, Mercedes wants to make its entry-level bones with just four compact vehicles instead of the seven now on the market.
A production version of the concept could sit on the MMA architecture and sounds like it’s about to dovetail with the battery-electric next-gen CLA-Class said to come in 2024.
The Munich showcase will also include the all-new E-Class All-Terrain. a camouflaged version of a near-production EQG battery-electric G-Class, and lots of interactive tech displays. The IAA show happens September 5-10.
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