Mercedes planning 1-series rival in 2011
It's no secret that the Mercedes-Benz A-class hasn't been a resounding success and that the automaker is looking to revamp its entry-level line-up to better compete with rivals. According to Autocar, M-B boss Dieter "Dr. Z" Zetsche has green-lighted a new model that's taking aim at the BMW 1-series and Audi A3, and will accompany the rest of the revised A-class models when it debuts in 2011.The new model will replace the aging, if just recently facelifted, CLC and will initially come to market sporting a coupe body style instead of a three-door hatch. Mercedes plans to expand the rest of the A-classes to include at least three different body styles of each model, coinciding with the launch of the new B-class, which will be designed to compete with the upcoming BMW X1.
Power will supposedly come from a combination of direct-injection gasoline and diesel powerplants, with output ranging from 120 to 200 hp. Pricing should be competitive with BMW's 1-series models, with the new A-class falling right around the £19,000 mark.
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SPF 1:26PM (3/27/2008)
Too little too late, maybe?
Reply
mk 1:46PM (3/27/2008)
Why is it that BMW and Mercedes seem to be wanting to be everything to everyone, and doing it less and less well.
3 series used to be small, C-class as well. They have gotten bigger, and HEAVY.
So now they are plugging another car line in below in the segment they themselves vacated.
So there are more and more products with less and less differentiation, and more and more expensive and heavy.
Maybe if they just kept their stuff in the place it was, and instead of making the E90 3-series nearly as heavy as an E39 5-series, they should have kept to the E36 paradigm, and not had to come out with an ugly little 1-series, which is nearly as expensive.
Dunno, maybe I am just not as smitten with the most recent BMWs, and used to be a big fan of the E36. If the E46 had looked as good as it did, but had been a bit lighter, it would have been an even better successor to the E36 than it was... and E90 hasn't really grown on me since then.
And this is just Mercedes Benz playing me-too with the same game that BMW has been playing.
And the rendering is ugly... but expectedly so.
Reply
Cary 2:55AM (3/28/2008)
All major euopean auomakers have been making larger and larger vehicles in the last 10 years. And Mercedes isn't playing much of a me too game. BMW is redesiging their stale 7-series to a more S-class like vehicle. BMW is playing me too with their X6 to say, "We have GL too." I will agree that had the companies kept their cars small and light. But if we go back 10 years , here http://www.autos.com/autos/car/luxury/1998/mercedesbenz/c280/base, you'll see, price haven't really gone up much. '98 C280 = '08 C300. You can do the math. But, still, it's about damn time Daimler kills the egg "sport coupe," such a POS.
Jerk Face 2:30PM (3/27/2008)
"It's no secret that the Mercedes-Benz A-class hasn't been a resounding success and that the automaker is looking to revamp its entry-level line-up to better compete with rivals."
That's because it is ugly as Hell.
Reply
416Hammy 2:46PM (3/27/2008)
Well, we wouldn't want BMW to be the only German autohaus with an over-achieving, over-priced, and under-pretty compact coupe, would we?
Reply