Mercedes says that the world of aviation has played a part in the styling of its new Concept A-class.

By Chris Knapman,telegraph



Mercedes-Benz describes its new Concept A-class as "a car that might have come from another planet", albeit one where the inhabitants still use a "turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a dual clutch transmission and a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist".

Admittedly, the latter is a first for a compact car, but the engines come not from another planet, but the C-class. Low and sleek with lots of clever details, the car's styling is said to have been inspired by a number of things: "The wind and the waves, as well as aviation engineering, were the sources of inspiration for its designers" apparently.