The saloon will be initially available with two engines, one diesel and one petrol, in either Sport or AMG Line trims. Order books are open in some countries, with deliveries set to start early 2019.

A petrol A 200 and diesel A 180 d are available from launch. The A 200 is powered by a 1.3 litre turbo petrol that makes 161bhp, 250Nm of torque, and is claimed to manage 51.4mpg. The diesel unit has been co developed with Renault, and is claimed to achieve 68.9mpg while producing 114bhp and 260Nm. Both engines come with a seven-speed, twin clutch automatic gearbox, with no manual option as yet.

From the outside, the saloon looks nearly identical to the A-class hatchback, right up until the C Pillar. From there, the roof drops away slightly more sharply to accommodate the new boot section. The rear end treatment is the same as the Chinese L Sedan, featuring bold light clusters with a Y shaped LED signature, above a bumper flanked by a pair of vertical air vents.

The saloon shares its 2,729mm wheelbase with the hatchback, while the overall length has stretched 130mm beyond the standard five-door variant. At 420 litres, the boot is 50 litres larger than in the hatch, though its opening is inevitably smaller.

The new shape makes the saloon even more aerodynamic than the already slippery A Class hatch. At 0.22 cd, Mercedes claims that it boasts the greatest aero efficiency of any current production car, which should bring with it both low levels of wind noise and strong fuel efficiency.

The segment the A Class Saloon will compete in when it makes its Spring 2019 debut is fairly small, the Audi A3 Saloon will be its closest competitor, but Mercedes says that it’ll boast class leading rear headroom. The rest of the A Class cabin is the same as the regular hatchback; in other words, it’s furnished with a well-built, contemporary dash which, with a few select options ticked, gets one of the very best infotainment systems available at any price.