Mercedes-Benz will drop the A-Class in the U.S. and Canada. Starting in 2023, the GLA crossover will be the entry-level range of the brand.
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class will vanish from the company’s lineup at the end of the 2022 model year, according to a memo received by dealers, Automotive News reports. It is only the logical step that the premium carmaker takes following their decision to drop the AMG A 35 last year.
The A-Class hit the U.S. market in 2019 for the first time, but failed to impress. Little over 17,000 customers ordered one that year, with less than half going for the entry-level sedan in the following year. The A-Class came at a very bad time, when the market followed the high-ground clearance tendency. With customers staying in line for years to get SUVs and pickup trucks, the A never had a chance.
The A-Class versus CLA cannibalization was also a major aspect that Mercedes failed to consider at the time. With similar proportions, engines and a little price gap, it was next to impossible for customers to go for the entry-level version. The A-Class Sedan starts at $33,950, while the negotiations for the CLA begin with $38,200. Since 2013 on the U.S. market, the CLA will continue to be part of the Mercedes-Benz range.
Canada also received the Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback. But not for long
The German premium company is thus moving upmarket. The introduction of budget premium models forced them to make quality compromises that the brand’s enthusiast would slam. Besides, Mercedes is trying to steer financial resources towards electrification and autonomous driving. An electric version of the A-Class was never in the cards. Mercedes though sells the EQA, the entry-level electric crossover, the zero-emission counterpart of the GLA.
Carscoops reports that the Germans are going up north to Canada with this decision. Thus Canadian customers will not have any opportunity to order an A-Class Sedan or hatchback after the current model year. The hatchback, in its standard and AMG versions, was never an option in the U.S. The CLA will also keep its ground in Canada.
