2013 A-Class Press Release + Video

[SmartMAC]

That's easy then, have your MB serviced at Renault

That will drive servicing cost down at mercedes no doubt. Maybe not at renault levels but competition always help.

 

[brakedust]

grober,

Let's not forget that the new A-Class is primarily designed to attract new customers to the brand, not existing ones. So the downsizing trend is unlikely to impact M-B too much. If people are rejecting C-Classes in favour of more compact cars, it is better that they buy a Mercedes than someone else's hatchback, no?

One thing a lot of new customers will like is the fact that a Mercedes is a car you buy and then drive until it falls apart, which will usually be more than decade after other brands have given up the ghost. While depreciation will be excellent, you're right, service costs are an issue and this is Mercedes's achilles heel. It can't afford to overcharge for simple servicing and repairs, especially if it wants to retain the new customers it acquires.

Gavin Green at Car Magazine says he's a little bit disappointed by the new A-Class. He thinks it is too evocative of Korean and japanese brands and has too little new tech. I disagree. The safety features are great, the iPod / iPhone connectivity is cool and it looks as if the larger 2.0 litre engines (not shared with Renault) will be the ones to go for - powerful and frugal.

I suspect that the Audi A3 may beat the new A-Class on design, features and driving dynamics - but if my experience owning a 1st gen. A-Class versus an Audi A2 is anything to go by, the new A-Class will probably be better built, more reliable and more comfortable - a better ownership prospect.

The really important thing with the new A-Class was to produce something with inoffensive styling. It may not appeal to everyone, but it could never be called hideous in a way that Bentley's SUV concept is.

 

[W2--]

Don't the rear look a bit like the citroen DS3?

 

[withabix]

They do like Lanzarote, don't they!

I hope it is an improvement on the current A-Class...had an A160 Avantgarde CDI out today as a courtesy car. Nasty doesn't do it justice!

I expect I will get the test the new one at my next service!

 

[spinaltap]

I like the forthcoming A-Class so much that I've just bought another model from the current A-Class range.

 

[Smarties]

I like the forthcoming A-Class so much that I've just bought another model from the current A-Class range.

Enough said!

 

[spinaltap]

I took delivery of my new A-Class today (and have the 'old' one in the garage awaiting collection by Mercedes: I terminated my contract early, to ensure I get an example of the outgoing model).

The dealer that delivered the car to my home told me how many people were desperate to get their hands on the outgoing model - except that they have all gone. No more are being made, nor are any new examples available.

Since the all-new replacement A-Class will not appear here in the UK until December, that poses problems for the dealership - especially for those whose Agility contracts end before December. They expect to lose many customers to other marques: those who simply do not like the new model, nor the new B-Class.

What is more, the new A-Class starts at an eye-watering £25k for the entry-level model. That's a steep increase in ownership costs compared to the outgoing model.

 

[rhud]

I doubt that the new A Class will cost £25k. That would make it as expensive - if not more - than the new B-Class. However, it does appear to be the case that the existing model is enjoying one of the most successful 'run-outs' ever,helped of course by good deals. 800 were sold in the UK alone in January this year.

Knowledge of the demise of the existing model was certainly the reason I went for a new one with a tailor-made spec in November 2010. As we all know, the model has had a chequered history. But the continuous improvement by MB over more than a decade has resulted IMO in a remarkable small car for certain customer segments. Like the Audi A2 I suspect it will be more respected after its demise than it has been in life.

 

[gIzzE]

I thought it was starting at £19k, undercutting the BMW 1 series?

Who has said it is starting at £25k??

 

[spinaltap]

The dealer specifically stated that they had been told that the new model will start at £25k.

 

[gIzzE]

The dealer specifically stated that they had been told that the new model will start at £25k.

He is telling porkies.

Mercedes has already told the press that it will sell for under £20,000 and less than the entry price of the BMW 1 series, just.
Which is £19400 from memory.

 

[neilz]

Photo used in the latest Mercedes email:

 

[neilz]

And latest advert (from the same email) for those who haven't seen it:

http://content.mercedes-benz.co.uk/...7/?s=new-generation-tv#!/?s=new-generation-tv