Geneva set the stage for the world premiere of the A-Class, Mercedes new compact car, with hopes of introducing a new customer base to the luxury car maker.

It has taken Mercedes close to five years from idea to launch of the new A-Class, with a strong focus on safety and sporty appeal, the manufacturer has set ambitious growth targets for the new compact segment car.

“I really believe this is going to be one of our strongest assets,” said Nathanael Sijanta, head of product development at Mercedes. “We really want to extend our brand to a new level, we are looking to double our customers with the A-Class.”

Safety has been at the forefront of the A-Class design with an array of assistance systems which have been adopted from the larger model range including collision prevention assist and hill-start assist fitted as standard.

“For fleets, safety is a key issue, all of the Mercedes safety technology will be included in the A-Class, for businesses, I think this will be really important,” said Sijanta.

With emissions starting at 99g/km for the entry model, a first for the manufacturer, Mercedes believe they found the right combination of driver performance and emissions which will set them apart from their rivals.

“We are focussing on the environment without compromising the performance. The key for us is offering our customers a complete car with full options while still achieving 99g/km.”

Available in manual and auto engines, the new A-Class will also feature ECOstart/stop as standard.

One of the highlights to the new A-Class is the option to have Apple I-phone technology integrated into the car which will enable drivers to use the full functionality of the iPhone including social media platforms and the Seri technology.

“You could say the new A-Class is a smart phone on wheels,” said Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management and head of Mercedes-Benz cars.

“The prospects of premium compact cars has never been better, we are expecting growth of 4 million units. The A-Class will play an important part of Mercedes 2020 growth strategy,” said Zetsche.

Mercedes has big plans for the compact segment with three more models in the pipeline for the near future.

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