Futures Best Mercedes Benz Concept Style Coupe

With the new A- and B-Class out of the way, Mercedes-Benz designers can flex their creative muscle on flashier variants that will use the new front-drive MFA platform, like the Concept Style Coupe. Mercedes hopes its affordable, entry-level MFA-based vehicles will lure in younger buyers, and the Concept Style Coupe -- set to debut at this month's Auto China show in Beijing -- should definitely excite those who lust for the CLS but can't afford its $72,175 price tag.

We spoke with Mercedes-Benz head designer Gorden Wagener, who told us that 90 percent of what we see in the concept car will make it to production. Once it reaches production, the "baby CLS" will be wearing CLA badges, referencing its designation as a coupe as well as its A-Class roots. Since style was the obvious objective for the concept, we're not surprised to see design cues pulled from the CLS, one of the most stylish vehicles in the Benz lineup. Like the CLS, the Concept Style Coupe features a coupe-like profile with a number of character lines in a design Mercedes describes as sinewy, sculptural, and masculine. Though Mercedes says the concept has no B-pillar , we expect the production version to retain B-pillars to keep costs down and structural rigidity up. Completing the profile are 20-inch, turbine-style rims.