Mercedes-Benz will host a festival at Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) celebrating various art forms called “Transmission LA: AV Club.” The event will focus on audio and visual art mediums, and will feature exhibits, concerts, and installations molded around that theme. But what does any of this have to do with cars? Mercedes has also announced that it plans to unveil its Concept Style Coupe, a second take on the F 800 Style Concept of 2010 and a preview of the upcoming B-Class-based CLC four-door coupe.
Though it’s somewhat unusual for Mercedes to choose an art festival rather than a major auto show to debut one of its cars, the automaker has been developing a relationship with the art community through its recently-launched magazine The Avant/Garde Diaries, and revealing a car at such an event earns Mercedes a fair amount of buzz and art world street cred. Mercedes hosted a similar festival last year in Berlin, where it showed off the already-revealed A-Class Concept to art aficionados. This year, however, the automaker takes it a step further with a world debut.
We’ve previously reported that the CLC will be based on the new B-Class’ architecture, with front-wheel drive coming standard and all-wheel drive potentially available as an option. For styling, the car will look to the larger CLS four-door coupe for inspiration. Reports indicate that a five-door shooting brake version of the CLC could also be in the works, complimenting the CLS shooting brake due next year. Powertrains for the CLC will likely be shared with Mercedes’ recent crop of front-drive compacts, though an AMG-tuned model with 300-plus hp and all-wheel drive could be on the way.
The event itself will feature an eclectic mix of live concerts, DJ performances, art installations, and visual exhibits chosen by the festival’s curator, rapper Mike D of Beastie Boys fame. A special guest from the festival’s lineup of celebrities, artists, musicians, and style influencers will be featured each day of the event’s 17-day schedule. Admission is free, though parking in downtown LA likely won’t be. The festival runs from April 20 to May 6.
