Mercedes launches a new concept to further expand the range of compact vehicles.

With the Concept A Sedan at Auto Shanghai (April 20 to 27, 2017) Mercedes-Benz is providing an outlook of the next generation of compact vehicles and a potential, new body type.

The Concept A Sedan show car specifies the evolved Mercedes-Benz design language. Thanks to its purist, surface-focused design featuring reduced lines and flat surfaces the show car is hot and cool at the same time. The "Aesthetics A" sculpture already demonstrated that the upcoming compact class generation marks the dawn of an even more rigorous implementation of the design idiom of "sensual purity".

"Our Concept A Sedan shows, that the time of creases is over”, say Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler AG. “With its perfect proportions and a sensual treatment of surfaces with reduced lines, it is the next milestone of Sensual Purity and has the potential to introduce a new design era."

The current compact vehicle generation is crucially contributing to Mercedes‑Benz's most successful and rejuvenated appearance ever to make 2016 the sixth year of records in succession. More than two million compact vehicles have been sold around the globe since 2012. In addition to the contemporary design language, innovative assistance systems, connectivity, and driving pleasure, model variety is a crucial factor for success: with the A and B‑Class, CLA and CLA Shooting Brake, as well as the SUV crossover GLA five differently positioned variants are available on the market.

"Their success shows that our customers are absolutely delighted with the current generation of Mercedes-Benz compact cars", says Britta Seeger, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for

Mercedes‑Benz Cars Marketing & Sales. "We are therefore extremely confident that the planned expansion will lead to a continuation of this success story."

The Concept A Sedan: study of a compact premium sedan

The Concept A Sedan (length/width/height: 4570/1870/1462 mm) has been designed with the proportions of a dynamic, coupé-like and simultaneously compact, premium sedan. This aim is emphasized by the traditional three-box design featuring short overhangs, especially at the rear, as well as the slim greenhouse that has been offset towards the rear. Additional sedan characteristics are the relatively vertical C‑pillar, larger side windows and the higher beltline.

The wheel arch design featuring a reduced arch dimension emphasises the exclusive 20‑inch wheels. The light alloy wheels radiate technical precision with their sporty aerowheel look featuring a structured surface between the spokes. The door handles of the show car are flush with the body, while the outside mirrors, in a contemporary reinterpretation, stand proud of the beltlines.

The striking front expresses self-confidence: this is crucially highlighted by the deep Panamericana grille tilted towards the front, featuring vertical chrome inserts and a star in the centre, as well as the stretched bonnet with Powerdomes. The large, lower air inlet featuring a diamond grid structure and a striking trim strip in dark chrome is also amongst the most eye-catching features.

The headlamps with their eyebrows as a typical feature of the brand as well as the striking grid structure on the inside guarantee a confident look – and a simultaneously high recognition value. The structural sculpture that has been broken down in detail represents a technically based counterpole to the sensual exterior – "stimulating contrast" is one of the six guiding principles of Mercedes-Benz design. The grid structure in the lamps has been coated with a UV paint and it is exposed to ultraviolet light. As a result, the headlamps "glow" in different colours, depending on the light medium – the daytime running lamps, for instance, are white.

This unusual lighting technology is also used at the rear: The striking tail light image has also been designed as a structural sculpture. In line with the evolved design philosophy the lines and gaps at the rear have been reduced. As a contrast to the paintwork the rear bumper features a diffuser-look lower part trimmed in black and a chrome trim strip that emphasises the width and underlines the car's premium appeal. The integrated exhaust deflectors are finished in dark chrome. Additional features of the roadworthy show car are dark privacy windows all-round as well as a large, panoramic glass roof.

Kia announces a $1 billion deal to build a new plant in Mexico.

• Plant to be located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon region
• Construction to begin in September
• 300,000 vehicles a year capacity for new plant
• Kia’s global capacity will rise to 3.37 million vehicles a year

Kia Motors Corporation has announced it has signed an investment agreement with the government of Mexico to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Monterrey which is located the north-eastern state of Nuevo León.

The official investment agreement was signed at the Technological Museum of the Electricity Federal Commission (MUTEC) in Mexico City, and was attended by a delegation of key executives from Kia Motors, led by Hyoung-Keun Lee, Vice Chairman of Kia Motors Corp., and a host of Mexican government dignitaries including Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, and Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz, Governor of the State of Nuevo León.

Construction on the Kia Motors Mexico plant is scheduled to commence in late September, and when completed in the first half of 2016 it will boast an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles. The plant will boost Kia’s total global manufacturing capacity to 3.37 million vehicles, including 1.69 million vehicles at domestic Korean plants and 1.68 million at overseas plants. Kia plans to produce a range of yet-to-be confirmed compact models at the new plant.

Representing an investment of approximately US$1 billion by Kia Motors, the new, highly automated manufacturing plant will be situated on a 500 hectare (53.8 million square foot) site that will also be home to numerous supplier companies’ facilities.

As one of the world’s fastest growing automakers in recent years, Kia Motors Corporation has been evaluating various options for entering new overseas markets to secure future growth for the brand. With its strong growth forecasts for new vehicle demand, Mexico was chosen as the site for Kia’s next overseas plant given that it is one of the few remaining major markets of the world in which Kia does not have a sales presence.

For Korean automakers to competitively enter the Mexico market, the establishment of local production facilities is pivotal as Mexico imposes high tariffs on imported cars from Korea. Mexico is well-known for its skilled labour force and numerous free trade agreements (such as NAFTA) with about 40 countries.

Kia expects the Mexico plant to play a major role in alleviating current global supply issues thanks to its strategic geographic location. Its proximity to the USA will enable the company to better address the ongoing supply shortage situation that has arisen due to the dramatic growth of the Kia brand in the US market. Kia also plans to utilize the plant as a foundation for strengthening the brand’s sales presence throughout the entire Central and South America region while freeing up supply from Kia’s domestic plants to address supply shortage issues in other regions of the world.

Hyoung-Keun (Hank) Lee, Vice Chairman of Kia Motors Corp., said, “All of us at Kia Motors are proud to signal in a new era for the brand with the announcement of our first manufacturing plant in Mexico. We are committed to producing world-class quality vehicles here in Mexico that feature industry-leading styling and high-tech convenience and safety features that customers have come to expect from Kia, while making significant contributions to both the economic growth of the State of Nuevo León and the future development of the Mexican automotive industry.”