Mercedes-Benz wins the AUTO BILD Design Award for the fourth time in 2012. Germany's most attractive car is: the Mercedes-Benz A-Class

DAIMLER AG - The readers of the leading car magazine AUTO BILD are delighted at the progressive design of the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class. In a poll in which around 100,000 readers took part, the new star among the compact cars was voted Germany's most attractive car. The new A-Class also won the vote in its segment. The Mercedes-Benz M-Class claimed the title of the most attractive vehicle in the SUV/Vans/All-wheel drive category. The readers' jury thus bestowed the AUTO BILD Design Award 2012 on two outstanding and innovatively designed characters on four wheels which boldly set distinctive design trends and clearly stand apart from the competition.

The winners of the AUTO BILD Design Award are traditionally determined solely by the readers' personal tastes. In this year's competition they were able to vote for 136 current models in five categories.

The AUTO BILD readers crowned a Mercedes-Benz model overall winner once again this year, voting a vehicle sporting the Mercedes-Benz star Germany's most attractive car for the fourth time in succession. After awarding the coveted title of "Germany's most attractive car" to the E-Class, the SLS AMG Coupé and the SLK in the preceding years, in 2012 they were won over by the design of the new A-Class. Mercedes-Benz also claimed another first place in this top-ranking automotive beauty contest with the M-Class, which the AUTO BILD readers voted the most attractive contender in the SUV/Vans/All-wheel drive category. Mercedes-Benz may thus justifiably claim to make the most attractive automobiles.

With the new A-Class and its radical, dynamic design idiom, Mercedes-Benz has opened up a totally new chapter in the compact class this year, visualising the beating pulse of a new generation of vehicles in fascinating guise. "The A‑Class is a clear statement on the new dynamism of the Mercedes-Benz brand," says Dr Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes Cars.

The exterior of the new A-Class displays a particularly distinctive, sporty character which is complemented to perfection by an innovative interior exuding a particularly high-quality feel. "Realising the new dynamic style of Mercedes-Benz in the compact class was a thrilling challenge," relates Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz. "No other car in this segment is as progressive as the A-Class. The sculptural aspect of the A-Class design is typically Mercedes. The feature lines on the sides in particular lend the A-Class structure and a welcome edginess. The new dynamic style is also immediately apparent inside the vehicle."

In the category of SUVs, vans and all-wheel drive vehicles it was the Mercedes-Benz M-Class that won the readers' favour and shone through as the most attractive contender. The award demonstrated the readers' appreciation of the trend-setter's characteristically striking design, which lends the car a high profile while also offering a variable interior with a high wellness factor and a first-class feel.