Mercedes wants new models positioned below A and B-Class

I want a B diesel in North America, I need something like this for putting around town. The smart is just a little to small for after work shopping...

— kpaxx (View Profile)

Posted on 1/17/2008 8:55:24 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

My first thought when I saw this car was that nobody would buy it. But with the economy the way its going and CRAZY inflation, more and more people are going to end up driving a smart. (whether by choice or necessity)

— w209w114 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/17/2008 9:41:59 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

Smaller cars are the future as the more stubborn countries start to realize the impracticality of Tahoes Suburbans and Expeditions. Mercedes should really consider a full-hybrid powertrain for the next A- anc B-Classes for the North American market.

— Anthony (View Profile)

Posted on 1/17/2008 1:00:57 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Great, more speed bumps and obstacles. I seriuosly wonder how these things pass safety tests.

Just because you can run into a wall OK doesn't mean you can take getting hit by a Suburban just as well. Force = mass x velocity. It's pretty basic. Action results in equal reaction. Maybe SMART hides the fact they're really STUPID.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/17/2008 6:52:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

W209

I know u r full of bias for MB but please don't defend Smart. It's one of the biggest Pos and mistake of MB.
Good for nothing.

and yes i have driven one and also the croosblade, the cabrio version. MB launched Smart some years ago here in UAE, initial sales were good but after 2 years nobody even know there is something like Smart. and it's years i have seen one.

when i drove it i couldn't believe company like MB can make both the best car like S Class and worst, the Smart. It's too tight, it's too slow, it's too small. It's a joke on the road. Mini and even beetle is thousand times better.
Even the Maybach is a loser.

JUGNU

— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 1/18/2008 6:02:43 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

W209

and yes i remember u asking me what i have against MB. No i don't have anything against them. S Clas is possibly my all time favourite. Even CL and CLS is extremely good.

but then there are few bad ones too. Like Smart, Maybach, ML, C Class's (interior only). and so i post my opinion about them. I say good to to a goood car and bad to bad one.

JUGNU

— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 1/18/2008 6:06:47 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

i wonder how long it take some japanese car company to adapt their "Kei" cars to u.s. standards and market them here?

the Kei class are limited to 660 cc. (early models had as little as 360cc. this included the FIRST subarus ever sold in the u.s.) yet the more advanced ones have ALL the go-fast goodies: dohc, turbos, etc.

collectively, the Kei cars also have DECADES MORE behind them in R&D, styling, and marketing.

no doubt the japanese (maybe chinese and indians too!) are watching the progess of Smart in the n. american market. only question is how quickly Kei cars will be modified and sold here too.

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 1/20/2008 7:34:07 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Who is going to drive a golf cart in the US when we obviously share our roads with double trailer Tractor Trailers pulling 60,70 80,000 lbs at 70 mph. Imagine that amount of energy steam rolling over you in a joke of a car like this. Plastic won’t protect you from these kind of forces, ever, period. It is simply a matter of physics. If you want to survive, you need a full twin-rail frame like only the Lincoln Town Car has. You know, it surprises me that the American consumer, has demanded that the big 3 install airbags in all cars, even in the 70s when the technology was too expensive to make them available without bankrupting the manufacturer. Now, safety means nothing, as a few more miles per gallon now seems to be the priority and safety comes in dead last. Can we ever make up our minds on what we want? Surely it can’t be one of these things. If we are running out of gas, lets switch to bicycles now, or maybe even going back to the horse and buggy makes more sense. Maybe the invention of the automobile was an ill-conceived since it requires energy the planet can not sustain or replenish.

— mercuryguy (View Profile)

Posted on 1/20/2008 4:23:18 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2