Quintet of success – More than 5,555,555 compact cars sold by Mercedes-Benz

The compact car family of Mercedes-Benz changed a paradigm and helped the brand attract younger buyers. With the help of the new and highly attractive models that have been gradually released since autumn 2011, the Stuttgart-based constructor managed to decrease its average client age by up to 15 years, with a big majority of today's clients having less than 30 years. The B-Class W 246 was the first milestone of the race, but it was the A-Class W 176 hatchback that said goodbye to the old MPV architecture and really set fire to the whole compact game. One year after its premiere in spring 2012, it was followed by the first-ever compact four-door coupe in the guise of the CLA-Class C 117. Late summer of 2013 saw the advent of the GLA-Class X 156 crossover, whereas during fall of 2014 the CLA Shooting Brake X 117 came up to complete the lineup. Since the birth of the A-Class back in October 1997 and up to now, combined with the sales of the new generation of compact cars and the previous A-Class W 169 series and first generation B-Class W 245, Mercedes-Benz has managed to sell more than 5,555,555 units in the compact class. And the future sounds marvelous: apart from the actual variant offerings, the forthcoming compact family will grow at up to eight models. The three new additions to the range will be the first-ever A-Class Limousine (possibly a global model and not just a China-targeted car like the BMW 1er Sedan, its direct competitor from Bavaria), the GLB-Class compact SUV (a mini G-Class, as spy shots indicate) and the fully electric EQA model coming in 2020.

Scroll down to read the official press release on this topic. Enjoy!

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany - The A-Class from Mercedes-Benz celebrates its 20-year anniversary this month. On 18 October 1997 in Rastatt, a customer took possession of one for the very first time. More than three million others followed. As a result, the model not only established the segment of compact cars at Mercedes-Benz, but also began a real success story. Since then, more than 5,555,555 customers chose to buy an A-Class, B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake or GLA. While the first generations were popular with buyers mainly due to their functionality, the new generation of the family of compact cars launched in 2011 impressed above all with its sporty design. This played a significant role in changing the image of Mercedes-Benz.

The buyers of a compact car from the Stuttgart-based brand bearing the three-pointed star have become younger. Today, European A-Class drivers are 13 years younger on average, than they were in 2011. In China, one out of three customers last year even was under the age of 30. And the success story continues: in future, Mercedes-Benz will have eight models in the compact car segment. A first look ahead to this provided Mercedes-Benz this year. In April 2017 the Concept A Sedan show car was presented at the Shanghai Auto Show. How e-mobility in the compact car segment could look like showed Mercedes-Benz at this year’s International Motor Show in Frankfurt with the Concept EQA.

Credits: Mercedes-Benz / Daimler AG

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