Mercedes-Benz A Class Sedan Debut

Mercedes-Benz A Class Sedan Debut

Tonight in Brooklyn, Mercedes-Benz introduced the car it will pit against the likes of the tiny Audi A3, the BMW 1-Series, and the Volvo S60: the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan. It was the global debut of the entry-level sedan and the U.S. A Class vehicle, which has been previously sold as a sleek hatchback in Europe. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 feel the European version was quite right for the American market,鈥?said Mercedes USA President and CEO Dietmar Exler. Mercedes is using it to try to capture more conquest buyers from Audi and BMW, tearing a page from the playbook it wrote in 2013 when it launched the also-diminutive four-door CLA Coupe. That car saw a 50-percent conquest rate of first-time buyers to the Mercedes brand. This time around, although Mercedes has yet to release pricing for the vehicle, it鈥檚 likely to be the least expensive Mercedes on the market today. That helps it to appeal to younger buyers, Exler said.

Indeed, people who bought the CLA were on average 11 years younger than the average age of buyers of other Mercedes vehicles. Exler said the A Class is expected to follow in those footsteps. 鈥淭he formula for success in this industry is pretty simple: attract younger customers to the brand and keep them for life,鈥?he said tonight on the top of the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO, where the launch was held. The A-Class Sedan will be available as an A220 two-wheel-drive and as an A220 4MATIC in four-wheel-drive. Both come equipped with a 2.0L inline-4 turbocharged engine that gets 188 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. Both come with a seven-speed paddle-shift transmission. From the exterior, the A Class looks much like a baby S Class, with a low, elongated hood, slim chrome headlamps, torch-like daytime driving lights, optional diamond radiator, and, of course, the central star. But there are some new additions: Each headlamp features multiple individually actuated LEDs and standard LED headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lamps. Optional 19-inch wheels look bigger and sportier than normal under the compact, 107.4-inch wheelbase.

On the inside, 64 colors of the optional ambient lighting make five times as many colors available than before. And Mercedes鈥?famous safety and crash avoidance systems are there as plentiful as in its other, more expensive vehicles. It even includes all of the autonomous driving systems now found in the S Class, a significant offering considering the expected price disparity between the two. Foremost among the new technologies offered in this least-expensive Mercedes is the latest version of the automaker鈥檚 infotainment system, called MBUX, which comes with advanced voice-recognition control and a choice between two fully free-standing high-resolution cockpits. 鈥淭hink of it as Siri or Alexa, just on wheels,鈥?Exler said. Drivers address the system by saying, 鈥淗ey Mercedes鈥?and then stating their command. This will be the first time Mercedes introduces the MBUX system, which also includes 3D maximum-resolution graphics calculated in real time as the car drives. It鈥檚 likely to continue the brand鈥檚 status of leading the segment when it comes to digitization and overall technology. And will be a key decider for potential conquest customers considering buying the car. It will give Volvo in particular a strong challenge; the Swedish brand has been producing excellent screens and connectivity technology in its new cars and SUVs like the XC60 and V60. Production of the new A-Class Sedan will be at the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt Plant in Germany in 2019. Orders begin later this year.

It can be taken off and stowed in the boot as necessary. A highlight comes in the form of a new electrically operated draught-stop which is available as an optional extra. This new development can also be extended and retracted by the driver or passenger during the journey, via a switch in the centre console. If the switch is operated, a trapezoidal frame is unfolded electrically, and when it reaches its final position a finely meshed textile fabric covers it, thus keeping the area behind the occupants virtually free of draughts. Once it has been retracted, the frame disappears completely in the rear compartment trim cover. The innovative neck-level heating system AIRSCARF is also available as an optional extra. Clean exterior mirrors and side windows are important factors where safety is concerned, yet all too often drivers cannot take them for granted. In this respect, the new SL profits from the detailed work carried out by the aerodynamics engineers and can to a large extent ensure clear vision for drivers - even when it is raining. This is achieved mainly through a precisely tuned package of anti-soiling measures. The A-pillar trim with a new shape features an aerodynamically and aeroacoustically tuned front edge and a water guide channel on the top edge prevent water from flowing from the windscreen to the side windows. The new exterior mirror has also been optimised for journeys during rainy weather. Water guide runnels and additional drip edges have been integrated into its housing, and to a large extent they keep water away from the mirror glass, and shift the break-away point of the droplets to the outside. As a consequence of the aerodynamic measures the side windows soil only slightly.