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Mercedes will sell the B-Class in the U.S.
By Yoann Besnard on 26 July 2007 | 
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It is official. After much equivocation, Mercedes has decided to sell the B-Class on the American market. The car will go on sale in 2011 or 2012.
Four or five years appears to be a very long time when the B-Class has been sold in Canada for a some time already, but Mercedes wants to limit the risks. Instead of exporting the German model, it will design an American interpretation of the European B-Class. Like the latter, the American model will be based on the C-Class platform. It will enable Mercedes to offer a roomier and more powerful B-Class.
The B-Class will compete with the Audi A3 and new 1-Series set to be launched on the American market soon. Despite all its qualities, the B-Class may not be the best candidate to do battle with its German competitors. While both Audi and BMW models offer a hatchback body, the B-Class is a mini-MPV. Even with a powerful engine, its design may be less appealing than the competition. Is Mercedes hiding another new small model from us?
Source: Bloomberg
