High gas prices are achieving what thousands of Euro-lusting domestic fanboys couldn't: an influx imported premium European sub-compacts. Automotive News [sub] reports that Mercedes has revived plans to bring its next gen A and B-Class stateside. Expect four-door, coupe and crossover variants to jump the puddle sometime after they make their 2011 European debut. And yes, we'll also get long-awaited, much-anticipated battery-powered versions– provided they escape development Hell. Meanwhile, Daimler's considering another U.S. price increase. "We will continue to go for pricing and lose some volume rather than see our contributions deteriorate," says CEO Dieter "Chrysler What Chrysler" Zetsche. So what's with the mass market A and B, then?
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Lower price cars introduced while the price of other vehicles climb. Good although obvious observation. I very naive sometimes.
C.A.F.E….
Exactly! Raise the prices of every model so the lower-priced models that you’re introducing will be really appealing!
People stupid/rich enough to shell out 35k for a 228-hp compact with vinyl seats won’t mind if that price increases to 39k, anyways.
The B-Class is not a bad car. They sell them in Canada and they’re nicely trimmed, practically packaged (they fit more than a S-Class) if not at all sleek in appearance or sporting in drive.
I would have bought a B200 Turbo were it not for Mercedes’ really irritating dealer experience. The salespeople are actually ok; the service shop is a bloodbath-in-waiting for your wallet and your patience.
The car, though, is really good. If you can get past the four-door Smart looks, it work very, very well. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also well-trimmed and really isn’t more costly than anything else with the same effective interior space and feature set.
Another car maker late to the party!!! MB-USA should have brought C-klass (and maybe B-klass) diesel fuel sippers a long time ago (C180 B140 cdi sedan/wagon).
Now the move reeks of despair!
And will not help keep their market share (particularly the potential cannibalism between A-klass and Smart) or their upscale personna.
You CAN’T make money on small cars in the US. Oh. Wait.
Start making them reliable and I’ll start caring.
Yeah, the B-Series is sold in Canada…
In the last few years, I’ve only ever seen one on the road. Crazy high prices with the typical Arm und Leg priced options.
$30K ($44K for a loaded turbo) for a German Mazda5? Not many takers there.
What Nemphre said.
If the dollar stays weak then we are going to see ongoing massive erosion of the European automotive imports. Look at what happened in the 1980s when the dollar plunged. That is part of the rarely told story of how VW, Volvo and the rest of the European brands went from growth stories to sick sisters. Many simply gave up and left. Porsche, BMW and Mercedes pushed way up market and established a niche by pushing Cadillac, Lincoln and the Chrysler Imperials to the side-lines. Volvo and VW responded by ramping up factories in Canada and Pennsylvania (both of which are now closed).
Look for Lexus, Infiniti and Acura to move even more of their production to North America … and for them to continue taking share from the Europeans. Another interesting point is that the high-trim versions of common mid-market sedans are encroaching pretty deep into what once was called the near-luxury market.
Mercedes’ strategic position visa-vis the US market is very, very bad. Their fascination with a proliferation of micro-niche vehicles isn’t going to help, either.
If they sell them as Mercedes, it’s going to be a serious blow to brand prestige.
If they sell them under a new make, they’re going to have to spend a lot of money to establish it.
Maybe they can sell them as “Mercedes, Jr.”
I hate the B class, there are lots here in Montreal. It’s a serious affront to buyers, like the C-class coupe (remember those?). Too much money for not much of anything – for dummies willing to spend too much just to get into the brand. It’s a poseur’s car. Bland, ugly, sparsely optioned, and above all expensive. Did I mention it was expensive?
Go buy a Mini and have fun, they are better cars and better value.
Mercedes have class – they will sell anywhere including the USA
But who buys cars on class alone? Poseurs.
I’m not one who is willing to pay extra for less just to get a fancy nameplate on my otherwise beige econobox. Unfortunately many people are willing to do just that and MB will capitalize on it.
I’m going to go sulk while I tinker with my bomb-shelter-on-wheels 250C.
That’s a bit like saying, “Who eats steak? Soon-to-be-vegetarians.”
I suspect there are people who think they just have to have an MB, so they go buy one without regards to the value in the particular model. Still, I am no fan of mercedes, so I can’t see what they are trying to pose as? Wealthy people? Either they are wealthy enough to afford the car, in which case they are not posing. Or they are soon going to have it repossessed, which means they won’t be posing for long.
When you throw out a statement like that, all you are doing is insulting people who own Mercedes. Somehow, I don’t think that was your intent though.
:)