It's been one year since Mercedes officially launched the second-generation A-Class, and already more than 200,000 have been shipped to customers around the world (but not the United States).  Sales of the A-Class are particularly strong in Germany, where 105,000 units of the compact Mercedes were sold.

Not surprisingly, the most popular engine choice among consumers of the A-Class was the diesel CDI model, which more than a third of consumers chose. Other popular options included the leather wrapped steering wheel, continuously variable automatic transmission, and the light and vision package.

Mercedes expects the strong sales momentum of the A-Class to continue, due to the recent release of the A 200 Turbo. The Turbo version, which is designed to appeal to sporty drivers, features a 193 horsepower power plant and is capable of producing 0-60 times of 7.5 seconds.  Before you get your hopes up, you should know the A 200 Turbo isn't available in the U.S. either.

Why Mercedes, why do you tease us?  We're sporty too dammit, and we should get to drive an A-Class Turbo like the rest of the sporty world.

You can check out the full press release below.

[Note: When I first posted the story, I indicated the A-Class was released one year ago. What I should have said, and what I have now corrected, is that the second-generation A-Class was released one year ago.  Thanks for correcting me Dom.]


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mercedes-Benz Posts A Major Success: More Than 200,000 A-Class Vehicles Sold In 12 Months



Stuttgart, 10/06/2005

One year after the September 2004 market launch of the second-generation A-Class, Mercedes-Benz is able to post excellent sales results: More than 200,000 vehicles have been delivered to customers during this period. The A Class, which for the first time is available as a three-door and five-door version, is selling particularly well in Germany, where about 105,000 customers purchased the highly variable compact vehicle last year. Despite intensifying competition, Mercedes-Benz thus clearly remained the number one manufacturer of premium compact cars. Sales of the A-Class were also at an all time high in other key European markets and in Japan.



The most popular engine for the A-Class is the A 180 CDI, which was chosen by more than a third of all customers. Following in second place is the A 150 basic model, with a customer share of 25 percent. The optional features that are most in demand for the A-Class are the leather-wrapped steering wheel, the light and vision package and the continuously variable automatic transmission. The most popular colors are the metallic paints “Polar Silver”, “Cosmos Black” and “Comet Gray.”

With innovations such as the sandwich concept — which remains unique to the present day — the A-Class has set standards that are important far beyond the compact segment. In addition to offering a very high level of safety (the car received the best Euro-NCAP test result of five stars), the A-Class appeals to buyers through its exemplary use of space and its high degree of variability: The car’s cargo area can be lengthened to 2.75 meters and its volume increased to 1,995 liters.

And the newly launched flagship model A 200 Turbo for sporty drivers is expected to generate additional momentum. With 193 hp and acceleration from zero to 100km/h in just 7.5 seconds, the A 200 Turbo is sure to provide plenty of driving enjoyment.


Copyright © 2005, Daimler Chrysler AG