MERCEDES has released details of its smallest car to date - the A-class supermini. At just under 12 ft long, the new Mercedes is available with a choice of two petrol engines and common rail direct injection diesels, the car will go on sale in the UK in spring 1998.

Despite its compact dimensions, the A-class offers new standards of interior accommodation owing to new space-saving construction which allow the transmission, axles and fuel tank to be mounted underneath the passenger compartment.

The rear seat splits one third/two thirds, folds forward, and can be removed altogether to provide maximum carrying space. The front passenger seat can also be removed. Mercedes has developed four new engines for the A-class - 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol units and 1.7 and 1.9-litre turbodiesels capable of topping 70mpg.