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Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style

Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class live in New York

Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class – Click above for high-res image gallery

Fresh off of its unveiling halfway around the world at the Shanghai Motor Show, Daimler graced the squeaky-clean floors of its brand-new flagship showroom, Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, with its striking Concept A-Class.

Nestled in the corner of the 11th Avenue megaplex (five floors and over seven acres of floor space in New York City), the Concept A comes off as surprisingly dynamic for what amounts to a conventional three-door hatchback – and a static one at that (unlike the car shown in China, the New York Auto Show star only has a half-interior). And it’s not just unique details like the elaborate pinwork grille (composed of hexagonal silver nubs on blacked-out stems), the windswept headlamps or the waifish side mirrors – the whole package just somehow comes together. We’re not sure if we’re finally getting more comfortable with the blunt-nosed look that’s infiltrating the Three-Pointed-Star’s lineup (see: SLS AMG, CLS, etc.), or if it just works particularly well here, but in the metal, the Concept A-Class looks more convincing than we expected from the first batch of press images.

That’s good news, because Benz is very serious about making its next production A-Class a world car – including North America. To that end, even in showcar regalia, the Concept A has perfectly feasible mechanicals: a 2.0-liter, 210-horsepower four-cylinder from Daimler’s new M270 range driving the front wheels and shifted by a dual-clutch gearbox. It also appears to be more conventional in chassis construction, eschewing the clever (if costly) ‘sandwich’ architecture and upright profile of the original 1997 model.

When it finally arrives in production form, the next-generation A-Class will no doubt ride on smaller wheels, have a taller greenhouse, and the engine will likely nestle behind a more conventional grille. Even so, Mercedes will still be on to something if it can preserve the appeal of the Concept A-Class’ form factor.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class: New York 2011

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz A-Class Concept

Mercedes-Benz A-Class Concept

New York 2011: Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class shines in Manhattan originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Videos

NYC DOT construction worker speed limit ad screencap

NYC DOT speed limit PSA spots – Click above to watch the videos

You might honestly think that the speed limit in Manhattan is “whatever you can crank it up to between red lights.” That’s wrong, and the New York City Department of Transportation wants you to know that it’s 30 mph.

More than that, however, the NYC DOT wants you to know why it’s 30 mph, and has put a series of amusing ads into rotation to deliver the message that a pedestrian hit at that speed has an 80 percent chance of survival, versus the 70 percent chance of dying a human clobbered at 40 mph faces. The commercials start with an unlikely character expounding on a subject you wouldn’t expect before the speed limit question is posed by the omniscient voiceover. Check out the humorous PSA spots for yourself after the jump.

[Source: Advertising Age]

Continue reading Video: Manhattan’s speed limit – Do you know it?

Video: Manhattan’s speed limit – Do you know it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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