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.

Australian sales of the second-generation A-Class commenced in April this year. Last month, A-Class sales were 124 per cent higher than for September 2004 and on a year-to-date basis A-Class sales in Australia are currently 28 per cent up on the previous year.

“Over 800 A-Class vehicles have been delivered in Australia so far this year and with the imminent arrival of the new B-Class Compact Sports Tourer, the prominence of Mercedes-Benz in the premium compact segment will continue to grow,” said Horst von Sanden, managing director of the Mercedes Car Group in Australia.

The most popular engine for the A-Class worldwide 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. In Australia, the most popular model is the A 170, which has accounted for more than half of all sales.

The optional features that are most in demand for the A-Class worldwide 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.
The soon to be launched flagship model A 200 Turbo for sporty drivers is expected to generate additional momentum. With 142 kW and acceleration from zero to 100km/h in just 7.5 seconds, the A 200 Turbo is sure to provide plenty of driving enjoyment.