Mercedes Teases New A-Class, Launches Smartphone App

If you're visiting Europe in February, keep an eye out for a small hatch wrapped in "QR codes," the square barcode-like images that are being used by more and more companies to link your phone to an online resource. 

In the case of the mystery hatch, Mercedes-Benz has launched a new smartphone app, tempting eagle-eyed commuters to snap a shot of the car - the all-new A-Class, in fact - and go into the draw to win tickets to its unveiling at March's Geneva Motor Show.

Accompanying the app is a new teaser video that shows the new hatch cruising the streets at night, offering the first official glimpse at the final production version of the new A-Class.

There's nothing here that we haven't seen in earlier spy photos and leaks, but it is clear that while the previous A-Class was little more than a practical commuter (a minibus really), the new model will rival the Audi A3 and BMW's 1 Series in a next-generation style stoush.

The 2012 A-Class will ride on Merc's new front-wheel-drive MFA platform - the same architecture underpinning the new B-Class - and engine options are expected to include some of the units powering the bigger B. 

A top-shelf AMG-tuned variant is also expected, with reports out of Europe pointing to plans for an A 25 AMG badge.

The flagship hot-hatch will reportedly draw power from a brand-new twin-turbo 2.0 litre engine, producing figures in the realm of 240kW -  eclipsing Ford's hero RS hatch and almost matching the 250kW 1 Series M Coupe.

The smartphone A-Class app will launch soon, on both Android and iPhone platforms.