Tag: A-Class

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Mercedes-Benz will discontinue the A-Class and B-Class in 2025

Mercedes-Benz A Class

I realise this news might be a bit dated, but I didn’t get the chance to cover it on my blog. Mercedes-Benz is set to halt the production of the A-Class and B-Class models in 2025. To be honest, I’m quite pleased to hear that the B-Class will be retired; it was something rather lacklustre. When the B-Class was first unveiled in 2005, it was essentially a smaller version of the R-Class (which is also now discontinued). However, the B-Class always had an unconventional and somewhat awkward appearance.

As for the A-Class, when it made its debut in 1997, it was groundbreaking. Back then, the market lacked a subcompact luxury car. The A-Class brought many technical innovations to the market, such as offering ESP as a standard feature for its class. This was particularly important as the initial A-Class had a tendency to roll over. It also featured a clutch-pedal-free manual transmission, which was sometimes referred to as semi-automatic and had its drawbacks for servicing. However, the most notable feature was its hydrogen cell compatibility. Mercedes-Benz designed the A-Class with the assumption that hydrogen technology would mature soon (around the end of the 1990s), making the A-Class ready for it (hydrogen cells was planned to be placed under the floor panel). As a result of this design, the A-Class had an impressive interior with no exhaust tunnel running through the middle of the car. When the A-Class received a facelift, a long wheelbase version was offered, providing an astounding amount of interior space for its size. I’m not kidding; it was truly remarkable! Sadly, despite its innovative design, people were put off by the A-Class’s peculiar aesthetics, especially in the third and fourth generations, which resembled a VW Golf. Nevertheless, for many years, before the SUV craze took over, people cherished the A-Class as their first foray into the Mercedes-Benz brand. Although the build quality of the A-Class left something to be desired, it didn’t seem to deter buyers.

Unfortunately, the automotive landscape changed, with people shifting their preference to SUVs. Competing models to the A-Class began disappearing from the market, such as the iconic Ford Focus. Additionally, the sales figures for the A and B Classes were dwindling.

In the automotive world, manufacturing a small car doesn’t necessarily translate to lower production costs. These smaller cars still need to adhere to all the regulations, undergo extensive R&D, testing, and more, making them expensive to produce. Moreover, you can’t command high prices for small cars unless you’re in the league of MINI. With consumer demand for small cars declining, there’s simply no logical reason to continue manufacturing them.

As the A-Class bows out, it takes the B-Class with it, given that they share the same platform. The A-Class has already been succeeded by the GLA and EQA models.

Mercedes-Benz A Class
Mercedes-Benz A Class
Mercedes-Benz A Class
Mercedes-Benz A Class
Mercedes-Benz B Class
Mercedes-Benz B Class

Photos // Mercedes-Benz

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Cars

Mercedes-Benz CLA vs. A-Class Sedan

A couple of days ago, I had the opportunity of seeing the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Saloon, in person, on the King’s Road, Chelsea. I thought it was a CLA, and that someone had decided to remove the CL from the vehicle’s badge. Apparently, I was wrong! I should have read the Daimler AG’s press release more carefully, as the A-Class Saloon is an entirely different car than the CLA model.

I personally consider the CLA to be the most obsolete car on this planet, in fact, in our solar system! It looks like someone put the CLS into a dryer which resulted in the obscure looking CLA. The CLA is, however, a cash maker in emerging markets, where the taxation is burdensome on cars. Even taking this into account, it does not justify the awkward aesthetic of the CLA.

I have always considered the CLA to be the ‘Saloon’ version of the A-Class, with a similar frontage, the same interior but with a larger boot. Daimler AG headquarters had a different idea, launching the A-Class Saloon, based on expensive consultants, Excel spreadsheets, and very long reports to justify the advantages and differences over the CLA.

I have been interested in cars since I was a child, and I can even spot the model of a car at night. I could not, however, decipher the difference in design between the CLA and the A-Class Saloon. True, the A-Class Saloon has a higher roofline at the C-column, along with a few other variances, including the suspension which is probably a bit softer in the A-Class Saloon. Yet no glaringly obvious difference would entice someone to choose anything other than the cheapest.

The CLA is positioned as a sportier version, but the differences are so slight I doubt that someone would visit a dealer and measure the rooflines to then decide.

The CLA and A-Class Saloon will inevitably saturate each-others’ market share.

A similar situation occurred with the BMW brand. Take the BMW 3-Series Gran Tour and BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe; they look the same. I raised this issue on my blog and received an abundance of emails in response as so many people were bewildered about the difference or lack of difference between the two models. The only notable criterion was pricing, and this soon wore thin with the consumers, and consequently, the 3-Series Gran Tour was abandoned!

Inevitably this may also be the fate of the A-Class Saloon and the CLA. Someone accidently pitched the idea to Daimler AG, and it went into production.

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New Mercedes A-Class Test with Anastasia Tregubova

New Mercedes A-Class test with Anastasia Tregubova. This probably the sexiest test of the new Mercedes A-Class. Also, I cannot ignore that fact that new A-Class is really sexy as well. However, I still love the previous generation A-Class with enormous amount of space inside the cabin.

This new A-Class offer very distinctive and sexy design but lack of the spacious interior of the previous generations. However, Mercedes had to revise this car to compete with Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series.

As usual Anastasia did a great test drive and as I understood from the YouTube substitles, she really like the A-Class despite some drawbacks like extra features and lack of space at the rear.

I am definitely sure you will watch the whole video couple of times and learn more about the A-Class :)

 

Photos Credits
Mercedes
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Cars

Mercedes CLA from Istanbul for #PinItForwardUK

Mercedes CLA, the tiny CLS! I know this does not sound fair but CLA is the smaller size version of the legendary CLS. Despite this resemblance, CLA did manage to create its own group of fans!

CLA is based on the new Mercedes A-Class, they share the same platform. Therefore, CLA is a front-wheel drive car. Unlike the CLS, you will experience relatively more under steer than you expected in a Mercedes. My personal opinion with front-wheel drive is not associated with sympathetic thoughts. But we cannot forget the manufacturing cost of rear-wheel drive and its hunger for fuel for smaller size engines. When you add these items into equation  front-wheel drive is a plausible solution, which I really don’t appreciate that much.

Never mind, you won’t be disappointed with the CLA. It does look way different than the A-Class, there is no true competitor of CLA and you will be quite unique. And CLA is relatively lowered priced than the CLS!

Here some photos from Mercedes-Benz Turkey, during the Istanbul Fashion Show! This post is for #PinItForwardUK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Photo Credits
Mercedes-Benz Turkey
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New Audi A3 Sedan: New Audi A4 Competitor?

Audi A3 Sedan, everyone was expecting to see a sedan version of the Audi A3. A3 is the leader of the luxury hatchback market. Even the presence of Mercedes A-Class or the BMW 1-Series could not manage to take the place of the Audi A3. Literally, if you want a luxury hatchback you first consider the Audi A3. However, until this time people were stuck with the Audi A3 hatchback or jump to Volkswagen Jetta. However, Jetta is not at the same level with the Audi A3.
The Audi A3 offers new standards to market such as; Bang & Olufsen sound system and leather upholstery are some of the improvements for the competition. 
A3 is powered by these engines: 1,4 TFSI 4-cylinder petrol engine with 140 HP / 250 Nm of torque; 8,4 seconds to reach 100 km/h and top speed of 213 km/h. 1,8 TFSI 4-cylinder petrol engine with 180 HP / 250 Nm of torque; 7,3 seconds to reach 100 km/kh and 235 km/h top speed. And the diesel is; 2-lt TDI four-cylinder with 150 HP / 320 Nm of torque. 8,7 seconds are enough to reach 100 km/h and top speed is 220 km/h.
Lastly, if Audi does not improve the interior space of the upcoming Audi A4; A3 Sedan may catch some of the customers from the A4. Because, A3 Sedan looks quite similar to A4 and if the legroom and interior is not that different, you may see some customers shifting from A4 to A3 Sedan.
Also, I really wonder who is going to order Bang & Olufsen in an A3. This option is way too expensive!


Pictures’ Copyrights
Audi
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Cars

Goodwood Festival of Speed: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes SL 63 AMG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercedes 300SL

 

 

 

 

New Mercedes A-Class / Yeni Mercedes A-Serisi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercedes C63 Coupe Black AMG

 

 

Mercedes E63 AMG

 

 

Mercedes Formula 1 Car / Mercedes Formula 1 Aracı

 

Gold Mercedes G-Wagon / Altın Kaplama Mercedes G-Serisi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercedes ML63 AMG

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercedes Concept Style Coupe CLA

 

Mercedes CLS 63 AMG

 

Mercedes SLS AMG

 

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Schumacher and Rosberg Built a Mercedes AMG Engine

Schumacher and Rosberg decided to build a Mercedes AMG engine. Building a Mercedes AMG engine is a real tough job and I am sure it is not that easy as it seen on TV. Hopefully, Mercedes recoded the moment of the engine built by Schumacher and Rosberg.
Schumacher and Rosberg built a V8 twin-turbo 5.5-lt, 557 PS AMG engine for Mercedes CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake model. 
Schumacher and Rosberg are great Formula 1 pilots, I hope their engine will be as robust as them. Also, they can open their workshop after retirement :)

For more photos: Cars & Life Facebook Page

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Mercedes
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Cars

Goodwood Festival of Speed: New Mercedes A-Class

New Mercedes A-Class is finally revealed in UK to public during Goodwood Festival of Speed. Mercedes A-Class was introduced in the end of 1990s. And since A-Class was introduced, unfortunately the average age of the customers did not improve as A-Class improved.
Therefore, Mercedes decided to make a revolution with the new A-Class and introduce something sexy and tempting. Honestly, they made it! After Mercedes Actros truck, new A-Class is one of the best looking Mercedes available on market. 
When I compare with BMW 1-Series and new Audi A3; Mercedes A-Class is the refreshed one. Because, BMW and Audi did not wish to undergo a heavy design change and the new models look quite similar to previous one. Therefore, new Mercedes A-Class is the most exclusive one on this segment, even though it is front wheel drive.

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New Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Before I start, this is the best looking aggressive Mercedes-Benz on market and they finally did an amazing interior for A-Class!

Finally we have the press pictures of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Honestly, I was really willing to see the new A-Class, during last two models they did not change the design so much and kept with MPV styling. Eventually, this led some customers to avoid the A-Class and jump to Audi A3.
I think Mercedes-Benz thought the same and finally they totally get rid off the MPV styling and concentrate more on sportier look, in terms of numbers new A-Class is 18 cm lower than the previous one. HMPV cars are boring regardless of their engines; if a car is a MPV it is boring. Therefore, A-Class always perceived as a family car, not entertaining. On the other hand, being MPV provided a huge leg room and head room. I have never seen this amount of extra space at any car on this segment. It has so much space in both front and rear seats, I can’t even describe it. I hope that, this new model will not ruin this.
From the pictures, I can assume that new A-Class will have a younger audience and look really nice and sporty. Especially it looks better than the new B and ML from the back! And front look is very aggressive, it is obvious that Mercedes-Benz is looking forward to capture some of the Audi A3 customers. New A-Class will be offered in three options; Urban, Style and AMG Sport. These options are quite similar to new BMW 1 Series. Thus, it is very clear that A-Class is targeting the 1-Siers and A3!
Now the technical features of the A-Class; it offers diesel and petrol engines as you expected. A180 CDi (109 PS), A200 CDi (136 PS) and A220 CDi (170 PS) are the diesel engines. A180 (115 PS), A200 (156 PS) and A250 (211 PS) are the petrol engines. All these engines have the optional 7G-DCT double clutch auto transmission, this sounds perfect! Also, petrol engines are featuring a new technology called Camtronic. It does this; “CAMTRONIC is an innovation that will be celebrating its world premiere in the 1.6-litre engine: adjusting the valve lift on the intake side restricts the amount of fresh mixture used in the partial load range, so reducing consumption.”
With electronic gadgets, A-Class will be offered with Pre-Safe occupant protection system that can predict a possible crash and takes necessary safety measures. Such as, tighten the seat belts, closing the windows and sunroof, and straights up the seats if they are electrically controlled. It was first introduced in S-Class in 2002 and took ten years to be offered in A-Class. Also, Collision Prevention System is standard on A-Class as well (COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST system gives a visual and acoustic warning to alert a possibly distracted driver to identified obstacles, and prepares Brake Assist for the most precise braking response possible. This is initiated as soon as the driver steps firmly on the brake pedal)
In future A-Class will offer the 4-MATIC four-wheel drive system, until that time it will be front-wheel drive that destroys the joy. I really wish to see a rear-wheel drive A-Class like BMW 1 Series. I know it will be a bit pointless and expensive but I still want it!
And, these are the standard and optional safety gadgets;
ATTENTION ASSIST (standard)
Brake HOLD function (standard)
Hill-Start Assist (standard)
DISTRONIC PLUS
Adaptive Highbeam Assist
Blind Spot Assist and Lane Keeping Assist
Speed Limit Assist (speed limit sign recognition)
Active Parking Assist
LINGUATRONIC
Reversing camera
Lastly, please don’t take pictures with that blue, it looks really bad.
And I think A-Class deserves this song, 
For more photos: Cars & Life Facebook Page

Pictures’ Copyrights
Mercedes

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Cars

Interview with Rob Halloway (Mercedes-Benz UK)

Today’s interview is with Rob Halloway, PR Manager of Mercedes-Benz UK. He is the person responsible for the passenger and commercial vehicles, and one of the most active Twitter users from the automotive industry. We know each other through the Twitter and the MIPAA.
From the beginning, Mercedes-Benz did a great hospitality for me. They picked me up from the train station with a Mercedes C350 Coupe. It was a fully loaded vehicle with everything, radar guided cruise control, blind spot system, traffic sign recognition, and ventilated seats! Five-star transportation.
Mercedes-Benz HQ is always amazing place for someone, who likes cars. They have many different types of vehicles in one place, from trucks to AMG high performance vehicles. Actually, my best piece was Lego Unimog that has more than one thousand parts and takes around at least six hours to build it!
With Rob, we talked about the new Mercedes vehicles. In 2011 and 2012 Mercedes revealed many new vehicles; SLK, CLS, SL, M-Class, B-Class and Actros truck. He summarised each vehicles’ unique feature and explained the new crash prevention system in B-Class.
In addition, we talked about the social media, its role in automotive industry and whom should manage it!
And, his journey with the Actros truck for a camping trip! And you will see what he drive at work ;)

Again, thank you very much to all Mercedes-Benz team for their great hospitality :)

The Actros camping post is here!

More photos: Cars & Life Facebook Page