Yes ladies and gentlemen, we are finally back - back from our holiday hiatus - and let me say, I hope you all had an absolutely spectacular, splendid and joyous Christmas.   While we were away, sipping eggnog, opening gifts, embarking on a round of spirited caroling and taking part in all the other good things that go along with my personal favorite time of the year, a few Mercedes-related stories did emerge which we failed to cover; but have no fear, because today I will do my best to recap any that we missed. 

First up is a rumor that's been circulating for some time: the rumor that the Mercedes B-Class may be released in here in the United States.  According to a recent Reuters article, "A global trend toward smaller cars and and less powerful engines means DaimlerChrysler could one day launch a Mercedes-Benz compact car in the United States."

The article then goes on to state the same basic reasoning for why Mercedes could release the B here: rising gas prices; a competitive compact segment, blah blah blah...  It's the exact same reasoning we've heard time and time again.

Will the Mercedes B-Class be released in the U.S.?

In my opinion, no.

Mercedes has repeatedly indicated they have no desire to release a compact A or B-Class model in the U.S. due to America's general view that the company is purely a luxury automaker.  They've stated numerous times that by releasing one or both of the aforementioned models, they believe it would somehow diminish American's perception of the brand.

Secondly, even if they were to release it here in the states, it would take time to do so, meaning the B-Class would be approaching the middle of its life cycle.  Why take the time to spend additional advertising dollars on a car that's three years old?  It's possible that when the B-Class receives its mid-life update they could then use the opportunity to brand it here as a new model, but with the impending launch of the 2008 C-Class and smart fortwo, even that seems highly unlikely.

Then, there's the over saturation of the compact market with Japanese pieces of... well, you get the idea. While there's plenty of reasons why the B could be released here, there's equally as many why it won't be.  How it plays out, we shall see, but if you live in the United States and the B-Class is the one and only Mercedes you're interested in purchasing, I'd recommend figuring out how to import one from Canada, because for the next several years it's the only sure way you'll actually get your hands on one.

To learn more, head over to Reuters for more reasons why the B-Class could be released here.