Mercedes-Benz reconsidering A- and B-Class for U.S.

The market for luxury cars is slipping, and stalwarts like Mercedes-Benz are not immune. The German automaker's current projections indicate that overall sales will drop by about 10% for 2008, and '09 isn't shaping up to be any better. On the other hand, one of the few bright spots in the U.S. auto market has been the sales of small cars, which have at least sustained level sales and in some cases increased tremendously. While Daimler has no basis for comparison since 2008 was the first year that the fortwo was sold here, sales of the smart brand have greatly outpaced the automaker's projections. The success of small but premium cars has prompted MB USA to take another look at its A-Class and B-Class cars. This compact duo are sold in other countries, but have been deemed too diminutive to be widely accepted here in the States. That all may change in 2012. By then, Daimler will have had a chance to rework the two cars for the American market, bringing them more in line with the brand's U.S. aspirations, and that's a good thing since the big concern would be whether the two models would devalue the three-pointed star in the fickle eyes of us Americans. Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz A-Class   Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz B-Class [Source: Auto Motor und Sport - translated]

 

What's German for "kickback"? Daimler workers broke Mercedes' for profit

A master mechanic and two clerks, among others, are being investigated for intentionally sabotaging Mercedes cars being built at the Sindelfingen factory. Allegedly, repair shops in the area that weren't part of the Daimler corporation were bribing workers with gifts, trips, and cash to alter the cars so that the repair shops could get the contracts to fix them. The sabotage included scratching the cars, loosening clamps and bolts, as well as -- incredibly -- putting foreign liquids into brake lines. According to Suddeutsche Zeitung, the cars affected were C-, E-, and S-Class. The Stuttgart prosecutor's office estimates the costs to Mercedes in the many of millions, but the greatest irony is this: the workers under investigation were part of the quality control department. [Source: Suddeutsche Zeitung via Benz Insider]

 

First Lagonda to be based on S-Class?

It sounds like a match made in heaven. A new duo of sedans styled by Aston Martin with Mercedes-Benz engineering prowess propping them up. Assuming that these two automakers can get their next super-sedans bolted together well enough, the first sedan from the recently-revived Lagonda brand and the next Maybach may be jointly designed by the two companies, which just recently began collaborating with each other. Early reports indicate that the two premium saloons would be based on the latest S-Class chassis architecture, with the Maybach brand getting the most luxurious accouterments and the Lagonda holding the sporty end of the stick. Powertrain options for these two luxury vehicles would come from Daimler as a revised version of the V12 engine that currently powers the Maybach limos and which may even by hybridized. The jointly developed super saloons would theoretically cut the development time and budget for each by significant amounts, assuming that these two sets of management can find a way to work together. We have high hopes. [Source: Autocar]

 

Mercedes offers buyouts to all Alabama workers

Nearly 4,000 employees of the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Vance, Alabama, are being offered buyouts in advance of another expected round of production cuts at the facility in January. The Vance plant produces the M-Class sport utility, R-Class crossover and GL-Class full-sized sport utility for the Mercedes-Benz lineup. In July, Mercedes slowed production for the first time in more than a decade of U.S. production as rising gas prices in June drastically cut sales. Although the buyout packages are being offered to all employees, Mercedes spokespersons are quick to point out that these are not to be considered layoffs. In fact, the automaker will only hand out an undisclosed limited number of buyout packages as it makes changes to the plant to bring production back in line with demand. Alabama has been hard hit this year by the global auto industry slump. The state's automotive industry is 134,000 workers strong, and the sobering news from Mercedes-Benz only adds to earlier production cuts from Honda and slowdowns from Hyundai, two other automakers with assembly plants in the Heart of Dixie. [Source: AL.com]