"The days of creases are over," Mercedes-Benz just announced in a press release teasing their "Aesthetic A" concept, which previews the new styling direction of the upcoming A-Class. Mercedes is not a brand to take lightly when it comes to design; after all, the Germans from Stuttgart essentially created the now-popular "four-door coupe" styling when it unveiled the CLS in 2004. If their prediction that smooth is the new move proves correct, it could be bad news for the origami-d likes of Lexus and Cadillac.

And while their "Sensual Purity" conceit sounds like a sex-store perfume, we can get behind the thinking: "'Aesthetics A' has a three-box design and is thus also a sign of new forms in the compact class, because outside of Germany and Europe classic saloons are also very much in demand in this segment," reads the release, which also notes that red will be a signature Mercedes color going forward. Smooth, unfussy, classic three-box design is basically why we spend our downtime researching vintage Jags, after all.

The full press release from Mercedes-Benz, below.

Sindelfingen. The Mercedes-Benz designers have restyled the product range with great success. The upcoming compact class generation marks the dawn of an even more rigorous implementation of the design idiom of "sensual purity". The "Aesthetics A" sculpture provides a first indication.

The designers at Mercedes-Benz are reconciling tradition and modernity in designing the cars for the future. Their work centres on 'Sensual Purity' as an expression of modern luxury. In applying this design philosophy, Mercedes-Benz sparked a transformation in design with the current A‑Class, launched in 2012. The new design idiom featuring edges and creases – indentations and recesses in the sheet metal – aimed to create clear forms and sensual surfaces which showcase high tech while also arousing emotions. This played a decisive role in making the brand younger and was key to the company's excellent sales results. Every Mercedes-Benz model that followed since was born from this philosophy despite having an individual character.