I have a question about the possibility of a different engine/transmission option for the A220 in the future. It is apparent that the upcoming GLB SUV (which is supposedly based on the A Class underpinnings) will come with the 2.0 liter turbo engine producing 221hp and mated to a 8sp DCT. Does anyone know if Mercedes will be upgrading the A220 to that new combination, and if so might it be as early as next year's model? I was under the assumption that the current A220 engine is just "de-tuned" to produce less hp and torque. My guess is that if they did do the upgrade the model designation may change to the A250? If anyone has any idea or information it would certainly be appreciated . Thank you.

Your guess is highly possible and does account for the new naming scheme.
Unfortunately its hard to say during the massive changes taking place (new models, major refreshes, etc.) but i'd say you're on the ball.

I haven't seen or heard anything but this makes a lot of sense to me. I can see Mercedes doing this to save cost on price. I really hope you're right. Side note: the GLB looks like a really nice SUV.

Safe to say Mercedes will with how linear their engine offerings are across line up's, even globally.

Does anyone know if the new A220 has rear side torso airbags? Can't find any mention of them. I believe the C class has them, but I don't know if that safety feature trickled down to the new A Class.

I read that it has "side impact" bags for this purpose, not specifically for it, but torso protection is part of its capabilities