A & B Class MB in 2011 ?

[Karl Roth]

Report: Mercedes to Import A- and B-Class | NextAutos.com and Winding Road
more second thoughts
karl

[Dave Van]

Always wanted a A class MB......

[jwight]

The next forfour?

[grwhitaker]

It would make sense for MB to "badge engineer" the A series as the step up product in the US smart line-up. It would be inexpensive to do, would preserve MB's upscale marketing image here, and give smartUSA 2 more vehicles to sell.

All Daimler would have to do is eurostyle the soft goods [dash and interiors] and change out badges, grille textures, and maybe even ex. lights.

Just my .02

[2smartArizona]

I used to have an A-Class on during one of my stints in France...a 2001 A170 model with the 1.7 CDi motor, and it was for me, at that time, the greatest thing I had experienced. It had an automatic transmission with the diesel motor, and still got me well over 50 mpg, did over 170 Km/h and was an excellent driving car.
There were rumors of this car coming a couple of years ago, but it never developed. It apparently did not fit in with the M-B image in America. I mean, who would buy an 18,000 dollar M-B, and what would it do to the image of the more expensive cars, so it never came here. I was terribly disappointed that they had not done it. If this thing was to come over, and especially as a diesel, I think it would be a great thing, and I don't care how they rebadge it, but I will always prefer the older body style that I had. I wish I could have brought it home with me.

[mdfortwoguy]

If they bring the B, my VUE's days will be numbered even faster.

[Smart Enuf]

A couple years ago, I test drove a prototype fuel cell A-class for a week and took it to my daughter's school for show-and-tell. That was one sweet ride, with an unbelievable amount of space within such a compact volume (sounds familiar?). I had to stop a kid from drinking the exhaust when I told them it only emitted water vapor.

I was hoping that car would eventually be sold here, but I'm happy to be driving its cousin!

[2smartArizona]

The A-Class like I used to have came in two different lengths, standard, and family. Mine was a family, and it had quite a stretch in the middle. We would seat four of us in it, and you could put suitcases behind the front seats, in front of rear passengers legs, and still be comfortable. It was a great car to pick up people at the airport with. The longer Family version was definately a good choice for me. Short ones looked sportier maybe, but the longer wheelbase seemed to improve the ride too.

[Red_fortwo]

Somebody just needs to show me where the reservation list for the A-class is and stand back. A nice 5-door would complement the smart perfectly. And possibly the wait time would be less....

[Karl Roth]

First cars due 2011, the wait for smarts isn't that long...
karl