Mercedes-Benz has decided not to import its economy A-Class models to North America, AutoWeek is reporting today. Although over a million A-Class vehicles have been sold since the line's introduction in 1997, the cons of bringing the car to the US outweigh the pros, according to the company. "There is no sense in bringing this type of vehicle to America if Americans don t want it," development chief, J rg Prigl, said.
I agree. The company risks further eroding its brand cache in the U.S., where it still has a little bit of brand cache left to erode, with more overpriced, unreliable POSs in the $20,000-$40,000 range. There's just too much competition in the twenty-large price class for Merc to gain any ground without cutting costs. And trust me, this car is no Mini. Not by a long shot.
That's not to say that the company won't consider a larger B-Class for the U.S. market. But we'll hold our applause for the day such a car hits the Port of Elizabeth covered in advance kisses from the auto press.