Whaddup, Shorty?
The primary difference between the current and upcoming vehicles is that the next-gen cars will sit much lower. The controversial stance of today’s little Benzes comes from the “sandwich floor” design, a leftover from their initial development as electric cars. The batteries were to sit beneath the floor, but when the EV project was scrapped, the lofty height forced by the design remained.
The A-class will remain the backbone of the family. It will likely be complemented by a two-door coupe, which should be low and sleek—very much unlike the three-door "coupe" version of the current A-class, which was prematurely killed a few months ago. Of the bunch, the B-class will be closest in concept to the current model, remaining a compact minivan. And the Continental’s October 8 educated guess has been confirmed: The A- and B-class will be complemented by a crossover and a conventionally styled four-door sedan.
It is rumored that the tough-looking crossover will go by the name GLC (remember the Mazda of the same name?), and the four-door model could be called CLC. The latter name is currently used by a Europe-only hatchback Mercedes, which is based on the last-gen C-class and won’t survive much longer. The four-door will supposedly evoke the CLS, but we’ll have to see whether the styling team under Gorden Wagener gets the proportions right. There are easier tasks than designing a truly sporty-looking, front-wheel-drive compact sedan.
Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/10q4/2013_mercedes-benz_fwd_a-_and_b-class_rendered-future_cars
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