The production A-Class currently offered by Mercedes-Benz is known for its entry-level luxury pricing and efficient powertrains, but when it comes to the Concept A-Class, Mercedes-Benz wants you to think about its “expressive and athletic design,” which is aided by a new turbocharged four-cylinder gas-powered engine, among other advanced tech.

There is listening questioning that the Concept A-Class is a looker, which Mercedes-Benz says can be attributed to inspiration found in waves, wind, aviation and engineering. But the Concept A-Class is no one trick pony, propelled by the new M270 series 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is good for 210 horsepower, and is mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Mercedes-Benz is also quick to point out that this new A-Class car is the world’s first compact car to feature a radar-based collision warning system, complete with Brake Assist technology. This safety-minded technology is intended to reduce rear-end collisions and provide advanced visual and auditory warning, prep the brakes by pre-boosting them so when the driver applies the brakes they immediately have full force.

Other technology includes full-LED high-performance headlamps and daytime running lamps that make use of 90 optical fibers wrapped in aluminum sleeves. The display in the car is capable of outputting all the functions of a typical smart phone, and can be operated from a rotary-push button.

Inside, the layout is intended to mimic attributes found in aspects of aviation, such as a dashboard that is modeled after an aircraft’s wing. Air vents are modeled after jet aircraft, and Mercedes-Benz even goes as far as to claim that the red dials in the instrument cluster take after the afterburner of a jet engine.

Stay tuned for plenty of live photos and additional details from the New York Auto Show.