The future of Mercedes-Benz’s entry-level/compact models looks uncertain as the latest report by Autocar indicates that the company could remove them from its lineup with further confirmation next week.
Speaking to the UK publication, Mercedes-Benz has said that it is not their goal to be a competitor in volume producers, as it is not what the brand stands for. This suggests that Mercedes-Benz’s entry-level models are no longer a priority.
In light of the semiconductor shortage situation, the company is now looking to shift its priority and supplies to more profitable models at the cost of lower manufacturing and sales volumes of its smaller vehicles.
Referring to it as an ‘unwanted experiment’, the company highlighted that it has made the decision to chase value for customers and the company, instead of going after volume.
This follows after Mercedes-Benz confirmed that the A-Class sedan and hatchback would be killed off in the US and Canada after 2022 even though it’s been well-received there.
This opens up a pandora’s box of debates as one can only wonder which models would be affected – likely the A-Class sedan and hatchback. What would this mean for the AMG A 45 and AMG A 35 models?
Locally, locally assembled versions of the A 200 and A 250 sedan were launched in 2019, before receiving upgrades earlier this year along with a price increase. The A 200 Progressive Line now starts from RM220,459 (up by RM9,556) while the A 250 AMG starts from RM243,858 (up by RM4,000).
