With the rise of crossovers, cars are less and less on a customer’s radar when shopping for a new vehicle. Strangely, Mercedes decided to launch an A-Class Sedan to join the mechanically identical CLA with a different body. It has proven to be an uninspiring decision as the Mercedes A-Class Sedan is being dropped in the United States.
Automotive News has managed to get a hold of a memo sent to dealers, informing them the compact sedan will be no more after the 2022 model year. Separately, Carscoops learned from the automaker’s Canadian division the Mercedes A-Class Sedan will be discontinued there as well, along with the five-door hatchback. That means BMW won’t have to worry anymore about the two small cars with the three-pointed star.
The sleeker CLA is sticking around as a four-door coupe for which BMW had a belated response. The first CLA came out in 2013, but it wasn’t until 2019 when the 2 Series Gran Coupe arrived. The Mercedes A-Class Sedan will soldier on elsewhere, including in China where a long-wheelbase derivative is built and sold.
Mercedes, Audi, And BMW Are All Dropping Some Models
The Mercedes A-Class Sedan does have a direct rival from BMW in the lesser-known 1 Series Sedan. However, it was never launched in the United States as it’s only sold in China and Mexico.
Mercedes’ decision to drop the A-Class Sedan from its US lineup comes hot on the heels of a similar announcement made by Audi. The other BMW rival will retire its subcompact cars by axing the A1 supermini and Q2 small crossover.
BMW will soon eliminate a model of its own by ending the assembly of the i3. However, the name will not cease to exist since it’s being repurposed for a 3 Series EV. It’s coming later this year in China where it will be assembled as an electric conversion of the long-wheelbase sedan.
[Source: Automotive News, Carscoops]
