The Next A-Class
What does any logical, automobile consumer want from a compact, yet powerful luxury car? Naturally the ability to chase down the city’s latest trendy noodle truck of course! Or so dictates “The Next A-Class,” a film by Mercedes Benz created to advertize the Japanese launch of the new, 2013 A-class. The anime film captures the innovative design of the car through the lens of a simple story relatable to the young, hip, adventurous crowd in Japan.
It opens to a young woman realizing that her illegally parked bike has been removed while she was watching a bad movie. Just as she is about to give up on this terribly miserable day, the famously illusive noodle truck in the form of a classic 1955 Mercedes Benz Blue Wonder whizzes by at lightning speed. Desperately chasing after it, she is nearly run over by the new 2013 A-class hatch back, Which is driven by two men also eager to chase down the legendary restaurant on wheels. The two parties join forces in a hot, reckless pursuit of the noodle stand that takes them on a radical joy ride through the futuristic city. A shifting avenue abruptly stops their chase forcing them to reboot. Just when all hope seems lost, the “museum on wheels” zooms by and so begins the second act of the epic chase this time with the girl taking the wheel of the 211HP car.
The chase takes them through a dingy, almost apocalyptic urban jungle, which perfectly juxtaposes the sleek, white finish on the sporty A-class. The hungry urbanites follow the noodle stand up a steep, glass pyramid. As windows shatter and shards fly past them, the camera reveals the sleek new design of this unbelievably powerful and efficient car. Flying off the top of the pyramid, the adventurous trio refuses to give up and land on a rollercoaster of a road that eventually ends, catapulting them through the air spinning over and nearly landing on the noodle truck. Perfectly exhausted the three flop out of the impossibly intact car and are happy to discover they have succeeded. They eagerly slop up their well-deserved noodles. However, the calm is broken when the chef tells them of a legendary tofu truck. This time, they are ready to take the A-class for another spin.
