Mercedes is the latest victim of high gas prices and a slowing U.S. economy. Sales in USA went down in the past few months and big gas-guzzling cars can’t be sold. As already reported, Mercedes sees its future in small cars around the world, and now it seems the USA may be a part of the plan. This is why the company is considering bringing the A-Class and B-Class here, probably sometime in 2011.
The move may help give Mercedes a much needed sales boost. "We have had higher list-price increases than our competitors, and we will continue to go for pricing and lose some volume rather than see our contributions deteriorate," Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Mercedes Benz said in a conference call last week.
The new generation of the front-wheel-drive subcompacts, due in 2011, will include a small crossover and a coupe. Those models are expected to come to the United States to compete with BMW’s 1 series and a future BMW crossover dubbed the X1, as well as small SUVs from Volkswagen and Audi. An electric car also is expected.
The next generation A-Class and B-Class are scheduled to be launched in 2011. And the company had big expectations from the future model, as they made quite some changes to the cars.
According to a German newspaper, Mercedes is "working on a complete new concept" for its supermini- and small family-sized ranges, with small coupes and cabriolets under consideration as well as hatchbacks, an MPV and even a mini-SUV.
Both future models will be built on the rear-wheel-drive C-Class platform in order to make them sportier and more able to compete with cars like BMW 1-Series, Audi A3 and upcoming Saab 9-2 for the B-Class and Alfa MiTo, Audi A1 for the A-Class.
Also, the C-Class Sport Coupe will be discontinued.
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class with fuel-cell drive has passed its winter testing in northern Sweden with flying colours. At double-digit, below-zero temperatures, the zero-emission drive showed what it could do in the comprehensive test programmes. For example, cold start behaviour was subjected to thorough scrutiny. Although Daimler Research had already found a technical solution to the fuel cell’s start capability at -25 degrees Celsius, the engineers’ focus here was on the interaction between the different components under real-life winter conditions.
Mercedes will be launching the first series vehicle with a local, zero-emission fuel-cell drive in the summer of 2010. Small-series production of the B-Class F-CELL will commence in early 2010. A new generation of fuel-cell drive will be used to power this innovative vehicle. It is much more compact, while at the same time offering greater performance and is completely suitable for everyday use.
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After three successful years, Mercedes-Benz has overhauled the design and engineering of the B-Class. The facelift programme focused on environmental compatibility, economic efficiency and comfort, with further advances being made in each of these areas. Thanks to a series of detailed improvements, the four-cylinder engines now burn up to seven percent less fuel than previously, and distinguish themselves with remarkably low exhaust emissions that undercut the current EU limits by as much as 90 percent.
Mercedes-Benz has developed a new ECO start/stop function for the high-volume B 150 and B 170 models. This switches off the engine when stopped at traffic lights, for example, producing a fuel saving of up to nine percent in practical use. Additional new developments include the bi-fuel petrol/natural-gas drive in the B 170 NGT BlueEFFICIENCY, along with active parking assist which helps drivers to both find a suitable parking spot, and then manoeuvre into it.
The B-Class continues to be available with a choice of six engines – two direct-injection diesel units (109 hp and 140 hp) delivering up to 300 Nm of torque, as well as four petrol engines with a peak power output of up to 193 hp and a maximum torque of 280 Nm. The four-cylinder power units have undergone a series of detailed improvements in order to further reduce fuel consumption.
A further new addition to the B-Class range bears the initials "NGT" on the right-hand side of its tailgate. They stand for "Natural Gas Technology" and identify a model variant which is as economical as it is environmentally compatible, courtesy of its bi-fuel drive: the B 170 NGT BlueEFFICIENCY is able to run on both natural gas and premium grade petrol while delivering an identical maximum output of 116 hp.
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