One of the most highly anticipated new products to come from Mercedes-Benz is its upcoming A-Class compact. Mercedes-Benz Sales and Marketing head Dr. Joachim Schmidt says, "The new A-Class is the heartbeat of a new generation at Mercedes-Benz. We have taken the opportunity to design a completely new vehicle which sets standards in its segment. I am convinced that the new A-Class will make a significant contribution to our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy."
Featuring a range of gasoline and diesel engines from 109-hp to 211-hp, Mercedes-Benz is confident that its many offerings will make the A-Class a standout global vehicle.
Of all the variants, the trim we find most appealing is the upcoming performance model tuned by in-house specialists AMG. Dubbed the A45 AMG, the A-Class will be the very first Benz compact to receive the AMG treatment in the outfits' 45 years of operation.
The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG will be powered by a tuned 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder direct-injected engine mated to AMG's Speedshift DCT seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. Featuring 350-hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque, power is delivered to all four wheels via Mercedes-Benz's trick 4Matic all-wheel drive system.
Additional handling hardware include AMG sports suspension, electromechanical AMG speed-sensitive sports steering, AMG brakes and three-stage ESP with "sport handling" mode.
Burdened by a social stigma that denies a compact vehicle can also be considered premium, many luxury and performance compacts do not make it to the North American market. Unfortunately, it seems that this trend will continue longer still. Inside Line reached out to a North American spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz to confirm North American sales. The spokesperson said, "There are no plans to offer the A45 in the U.S."
What a shame.
