SCOOP: 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class MPV is Same ol’ Same ol’…

Not too long ago, we brought you official design images of the brand new 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class sporting a five-door hatchback body styled after the impressive A-Class concept seen at the New York and Shanghai Auto Shows in April. Now we have some revealing spy shots of the upcoming 2012 B-Class minivan. Being that the next A-Class and its larger B-Class sibling belong to the same family, you would expect a similar design philosophy between the two models.
However, as these latest scoops demonstrate, that is not the case with the new 2012 B-Class. We had a very hard time telling the differences between the current B-Class and its successor, as the overall shape and styling of the small MPV have been kept intact. Nevertheless, the new B-Class is slightly taller and longer than the current model, with the front and rear ends influenced by the latest crop of Mercedes-Benz cars and SUVs.

All-New 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatchback Revealed in Patent Images

We first saw Mercedes-Benz’s intentions for the upcoming 2012 A-Class series at both the New York and Shanghai auto show in mid-April with the unveiling of a sexy-looking, three-door concept model, but now, we can offer you a look at the production version thanks to these images from the European patent office.
The model seen here is the five-door hatchback version of the new A-Class, which, if our sources are correct, will make its world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this September. The production A-Class appears to be closely modeled after the concept version, albeit with less dramatic body surfacing and detailing. For example, the nose has been lifted up and is less aggressively styled than on the prototype study.