The Mercedes A-Class Sedan, which starts at $33,950, will be discontinued in the U.S., according to a new report. The problem, it seems, is that Mercedes simply isn’t making enough money off of A-Class sales. Also, A-Class sales have been lacking.
This is too bad, because the A-Class is almost affordable, and it looks good, though, for crossover-obsessed Americans, I can see why the GLA is preferred. The pricier CLA is also sitting right there, but, really, the problem is that Mercedes never offered the fourth-generation A-Class Hatchback here, not that that would’ve changed anything.
From Automotive News:
The A-Class “will do really, really well ... for us,” then Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler declared in 2018 ahead of the launch.
But waning consumer demand for cars and shifting corporate priorities are prompting Mercedes to ditch the compact sedan in the U.S. after the 2022 model year, the German automaker said in a dealer memo obtained by Automotive News.
[...]
U.S. sales of the A-Class peaked at 17,641 when it launched in 2019. Mercedes-Benz delivered 8,108 units last year, down 47 percent from 2020.
This also sounds very much like Mercedes’ version of what Chevy is doing in killing the Spark.
Mercedes wants to quit chasing volume and move more upmarket, said Todd Bondy, operating partner at Mercedes-Benz of Oklahoma City.
“They want to focus on cars that are going to be profitable for the dealer and manufacturer,” Bondy said. “The gross profit average was just never very good on the A-Class.”
Stopping the chase for volume and moving upmarket is the most worrying trend in automating these days, because, while it makes all the sense in the world for automakers and their shareholders, it has also shifted the emphasis away from affordability. There must be an equilibrium reached here eventually, but sadly that looks like a world in which the “cheap” cars are the Chevy Trax and, in luxury, the GLA.
Anyway, let’s remember the best A-Class:
