Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz 168 series
(1997-2004)

Mercedes-Benz 169 series
(2004–2012)

Mercedes-Benz W 176
(2012-2018)

Mercedes-Benz W 177
(since 2018)

A-Class is the name of a compact model series from the Mercedes-Benz automobile brand . It was entered in the European trademark register for Daimler AG under registration number 000114082. The A-Class is the first Mercedes model for cars with front-wheel drive in the compact class and was from the study A developed. Of the first two prototypes of Study A developed in 1991, one was equipped with an electric drive, the other with a combustion engine. By 1997, the version with an electric drive was also ready for series production and had a practical range of 200 km.

In October 1997, Mercedes-Benz launched the A-Class with internal combustion engines. Series production of the electric A-Class was dispensed with for economic reasons. The electric version was used for endurance testing from 1998. With the NECAR test vehicles, it created the basis for today's E-Cell and F-Cell developments with alternative drive systems. Mercedes-Benz pioneered minivans with the A-Class . The position of the engine and the sandwich construction of the floor pan were new when the A-Class was introduced .

Motor arrangement (series 168/169)

In order to create as much space as possible for passengers and usable space, the front end ( bonnet ) of the compact A-Class is very short. Nevertheless, with an external length of 3.56 m, the interior length and thus the space available to the passengers is smaller than for example with the shorter Daihatsu Mira / Cuore . A short front end results in the need for a high level of crash safety with the aspects

• the reduction of kinetic energy to a tolerable deceleration level without being able to fall back on deformable consoles (so-called crash boxes ), as these are too long, and
• nevertheless, in the event of a crash, to prevent the survival space in the passenger compartment from being reduced by the deformation,

having to resort to a different concept.

The engine is not arranged in front of the two drive shafts , as is usual with front-wheel drive , but is inclined forward over them. When viewed from the side, the motor forms a triangular arrangement of the drive unit in front of the passenger compartment , which slides under the car in the event of a crash.

Despite the short front end, a long crumple zone is available for energy dissipation in the event of a frontal collision, which results in a high level of crash safety. Particular emphasis was also placed on compatibility, e.g. B. placed the frontal crash with a heavier vehicle.

The innovations described were patented as

• "Motor vehicle with a drive motor inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal" (Patent DE 43 26 396 C 2),
• "Front wall structure for a motor vehicle with a drive unit arranged at the front" (Patent DE 44 00 132 C1)

and are considered revolutionary in automotive engineering. The disadvantage is the special construction of the motor and transmission, which makes cross-platform use more difficult and thus increases costs.

Sandwich-shaped floor assembly (series 168/169)

Mercedes-Benz A-Class "E-Cell"

Another innovation is the sandwich base . With compact external dimensions, it offers high occupant safety, space economy and variability. The system of side and cross members meets requirements in frontal and side crashes that are otherwise only possible in larger vehicles. The on-board battery, the exhaust system and the fuel tank are housed in the sandwich floor. With TIREFIT there is no spare wheel. The space can then be used for luggage.

The sandwich floor is also suitable for implementing alternative drive concepts without restricting the usable space. In the version with electric drive from 1997, the zebra battery was installed from below in this intermediate floor. In the new E-Cell, the sandwich base houses the lithium-ion battery , and in the F-Cell, it also houses the fuel cell technology.

Advantage for the inclusion of alternative drive units

The floor pan in a so-called sandwich construction offers space for alternative drive elements such as

• Batteries or
• Fuel cells and large-volume tank units for supplying the fuel cell.

The installation can be easily accessible from below and restricts the space in the vehicle only to a small extent.

Safety advantage with alternative drives

Protecting the occupants from the heavy batteries or pressure tanks, for example in the event of a rollover, is a safety problem in all vehicles with alternative drives. Mercedes solved the problem with the sandwich base, but then did not use it.

By encapsulating the alternative drive elements in a separate space under the passenger cell, the alternative drive elements are safely kept away from the occupants in the event of an accident, including a rollover.

disadvantage

→ Main article : Mercedes-Benz 168 series # Problems with the market launch

When using a sandwich floor, the vehicle's center of gravity can shift upwards, similar to an SUV, due to the higher position of all elements above the sandwich (seats, people, roof group) . With alternative drives with accumulators or hydrogen tanks in the sandwich floor, the center of gravity remains low. However, the increased weight must be taken into account when tuning the chassis.

Mercedes resolved the stability problems of the A-Class with conventional drive that became public during the moose test by stopping production and extensive retrofitting. With stiffer stabilizers and the first standard ESP in the compact class, driving behavior and active vehicle safety have been significantly improved.

History of the A-Class

1997

→ Main article : Mercedes-Benz 168 series

The first generation of the A-Class was introduced in October 1997.

2001

From March 2001, the range was expanded to include a version with an extended wheelbase. The original model with a short wheelbase was given a facelift.

2004

→ Main article : Mercedes-Benz 169 series

In October 2004, the second generation of models with a larger gauge came onto the market. It was no longer only available as a five-door, but also as a three-door (coupé). The version with short wheelbase was omitted.

2005

In June 2005, the closely related B-Class was also introduced. It has the same track width as the A-Class, but 21 cm more wheelbase and a 43 cm longer body.

2012

→ Main article : Mercedes-Benz W 176

The third generation of the A-Class has been on the market since September 2012. The sandwich floor concept was abandoned as well as the concept of the minivan. Rather, it is a significantly flatter (height 1.43 meters = 18 centimeters lower than the previous model) and wider (1.78 m wide) hatchback model, which can now be fully assigned to the compact class. The length is 4.29 meters.

2018

→ Main article : Mercedes-Benz W 177

The fourth generation is 4.42 m long (+ 12 cm), the wheelbase has been extended by three centimeters to 2.73 meters. The opening of the trunk lid, which was previously quite narrow, has been widened by 20 centimeters. A 200 and A 250 (both petrol engines) have a particle filter. The A 180 d (diesel) has an SCR catalytic converter and 1.5 liter displacement.

Generations and derivatives

• A-Class (W 168) (1997-2004)

• Vaneo (W 414) (2001-2005)

• A-Class (W 169 / C 169) (2004–2012)

• B-Class (T 245) (2005-2011)

• A-Class (W 176) (2012-2018)

• B-Class (W 242 / W 246) (2011-2018)
• CLA (C 117 / X 117) (2013-2018)
• GLA (X 156) (2013-2020)

• A-Class (W 177 / V 177) (since 2018)

• B-Class (W 247) (since 2018)
• CLA (C 118 / X 118) (since 2019)
• GLA (H 247) (since 2020)

New registrations in Germany, market positioning and competition: monopoly position, fall, reconnection

year	Mercedes Benz A class	Audi A3 , S3 , RS3	BMW 1 series
1997 1	4,537	64,940	-
1998	76,443	59,923	-
1999	100,376	61,237	-
2000	94,751	52,614	-
2001	87,742	48,497	-
2002	77,479	40,474	-
2003	69,678	55,362
2004 2nd	74,779	60,891	14,749
2005	85,691	66,737	55,621
2006	71,294	77,044	56,293
2007	62.193	70,517	55.105
2008	61,583	65,088	75,621
2009	54,622	72,238	71,400
2010	51,579	63,466	55,353
2011	43,542	53,801	52,881
2012 3	31,973	45,999	59,241
2013	49.034	60,978	53,214
2014	36,657	65,199	50,250
2015	32,658	57,858	46,340
2016	34,270	57.176	46,632

While the A-Class reached 16th place in the German new registration statistics in its first full year of new registrations in 1998, new registrations continued to rise in 1999 and reached the highest level to date. At the same time, 1999 was the only year in which new registrations had exceeded the 100,000 unit mark, making the A-Class 7th. The A-Class had thus established itself in the top 10. The A-Class also held seventh place in 2000, and in 2001 it slipped two places to ninth place. In 2002 the A-Class landed in 11th place (−2), which it held in 2003 and 2004. Due to the introduction of the 169 series in October 2004, the new registrations in the first full year of sales of this series rose to the best value since 2001. It placed 6th, the highest ranking to date. New registrations fell again in 2006, the A-Class lost five places and ended up in 11th place. The model also took this place the following year. In line with the aging process and due to new models from competitors, the A-Class lost relatively strong losses from 2008 onwards, and in 2008 it was ranked 12th (−1) and in 2009 only 18th (−6). In 2010 the A-Class gained momentum again at the end of its production cycle and was able to position itself in 14th place (+4). However, the A-Class lost again in 2011 (21st place, −7), which was also confirmed in 2012 (25th place, −4). However, there was a production break of half a year between the end of production of the 169 series and the start of production of the 176 series, which is unusually long and was not the case with the previous model change, which explains the significantly lower numbers for 2012.

Daimler Chrysler and Daimler respectively saw and sees the direct competitors of the A-Class in the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series . From the first full year of sales, the A-Class was well ahead of the Audi A3, which was introduced a year before the A-Class. The A-Class succeeded in doing this throughout up to and including 2005. Only then, not least because of BMW's entry into the compact class with the 1 Series, the introduction of the conceptually similar VW Golf Plus and the introduction of the B-Class, which was the same at the time As the A-Class pursued, but was only slightly larger and thus also robbed the A-Class buyers, the A-Class lost first place among the three premium manufacturers to the A3 in 2006, but held its own before the still new one 1er, which continued in 2007. From 2008 the gap between the Duo A3 and 1 Series, which had overtaken the A-Class from then on, and this one became larger. By 2012, the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series were increasingly behind the A-Class. In 2013 the A-Class was able to shorten the gap to around 4,200 units to the BMW 1 Series and 11,900 units to the Audi A3 due to the radical change in concept - away from the conceptual minivan and towards the usual format of the compact class.

Despite initial difficulties, the A-Class has developed into an important mainstay of the Mercedes-Benz brand and today represents the core portfolio alongside the B, C and E-Class. The high new registrations in the first few years resulted from a lack of competition and a at that time innovative, new concept.

¹ Introduction of the 168 series in September 1997

² Introduction of the 169 series in October 2004, end of production of the 168 series in September 2004

³ Introduction of the 176 series in September 2012, end of production of the 169 series in April 2012

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Brand entry A-Class
2. ↑ Anja Rother, Tübingen 2003: Crisis Communication in the Automotive Industry. A content-analytical study using the example of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) PDF; 1.2 MB
3. ↑ ^{a b c} brochure of Daimler-Benz AG, 12/1997: The A-Class Electric Vehicle, Powered by the ZEBRA Battery System (PDF, 3.7 MB); Retrieved January 23, 2012
4. ↑ Zero emissions, full of emotion: electromobility at Daimler. History of battery electric vehicles. (No longer available online.) Daimler AG, archived from the original on January 21, 2013 ; accessed on February 2, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Spiegel online, July 2004: Mercedes A-Class:… and it made a boom . Retrieved September 16, 2009.
6. ↑ Mercedes-Benz: Scheme: submergence of the drive unit in the event of a frontal impact ( memento from March 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) accessed January 27, 2012.
7. ↑ Christof Vieweg. Everything about the Mercedes-Benz A-Class , A publication by Daimler-Benz Service, Stuttgart. 1st edition 1997, ISBN 3-9804457-8-X
8. ↑ Daimler AG: Illustration of the sandwich construction ( Memento from May 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
9. ↑ The A-Class E-CELL: The first family car for the city. (No longer available online.) Daimler AG, archived from the original on January 20, 2013 ; accessed on February 2, 2020 . 
10. ↑ Daimler increases the pressure . July 7, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
11. ↑ Der Spiegel, November 1997: Dance around the rubber cones , accessed January 23, 2012
12. ↑ Welt online from October 21, 2007: Mercedes and the Elk: The Perfect Embarrassment , accessed January 23, 2012
13. ↑ Pair skating: Mercedes B 200 versus A 200 . Motor press Stuttgart. August 23, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
14. ^ FAZ Technik & Motor: The Spurned Buyer , inserted March 13, 2012
15. ↑ autobild.de
16. ↑ FAZ.net
17. ↑ ^{a b} Segmentation of passenger cars 1999/2000. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on November 24, 2005 ; Retrieved September 7, 2013 . 
18. ↑ Segmentation of passenger cars December 2001 (PDF; 89 kB) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
19. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars by segment and type group as well as with diesel drive in December 2002. (PDF; 108 kB) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
20. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars by segment and type group as well as with diesel drive in December 2003. (PDF; 115 kB) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
21. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in Germany by brand and model as well as with diesel and all-wheel drive in December 2004. (PDF) Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
22. ^ Advance information about new registrations - reporting month: December 2005. New registrations of passenger cars by brand and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
23. ↑ New registrations - reporting month: December 2006. New registrations of passenger cars by brand and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
24. ^ Advance information on new registrations - reporting month: December 2007. New registrations of passenger cars by brand and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
25. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2008 by brand and model series. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on May 31, 2014 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 . 
26. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2009 by brand and model series. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on May 31, 2014 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 . 
27. ^ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2010 by brand and model series. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on May 31, 2014 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 . 
28. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2011 by brand and model series. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on October 30, 2014 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 . 
29. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2012 by brand and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on May 31, 2014 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 . 
30. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2013 by brand and model series. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Federal Motor Transport Authority , archived from the original on May 31, 2014 ; Retrieved March 25, 2015 . 
31. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2014 by brand and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 25, 2015 . 
32. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2015 by segment and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 29, 2017 . 
33. ↑ New registrations of passenger cars in December 2016 by segment and model series. (PDF) Federal Motor Transport Authority , accessed on March 29, 2017 . 

Web links

Commons : Mercedes-Benz A-Class  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files