The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class is scheduled to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March. Instead of revealing the car by sending out a press release, Mercedes-Benz is making a game out of it.
Starting next month, the German brand will release several A-Classes in cities throughout Germany. The cars will be wrapped in a special camouflage that incorporates QR codes.
Those who spot the cars will have to scan the code with their smart phones or tablets. They will then register it through a purpose-designed application called “A-Class QR Trophy”, available for free from the Apple App Store or the Android Market.
The QR chasers will have to find and register four different codes; three of them will be on cars, and the last one will be on a social network such as Twitter or Facebook. When someone registers a code, he or she will automatically be entered in a drawing to win a spot at the car’s unveiling ceremony in Switzerland
The next A-Class has never been spotted without camouflage, but it is expected to mark a big break from the previous two generations. It was designed as a compact hatchback in order to compete head-to-head against market heavyweights such as the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-Series. It will be based on the same front-wheel drive platform as the B-Class and it will use roughly the same engines.
