Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2007 News

The A250's 155kW/350Nm petrol engine will headline the Mercedes-Benz A-Class range when it goes in sale in Australia in the first quarter of next year. Engine details have been released for the range and show the A250 Sport to be the luxury carmaker's take on hot hatches and with a 0-100km/h time of just 6.6 seconds, is a seriously quick car.But there's more on the way. Pressed about a rumoured all-wheel-drive AMG performance model, Stamoulis confirms "we should see another variant later in the life of the A-Class and it will be more powerful than an A250 Sport". Stamoulis says powertrains are still being assessed for Australia but adds improvements to efficiency and power with the petrol engines means the model range is likely to skew in that direction. "The diesel engines are a showcase of our technology and already meet Euro 6 emission levels," he says. "Just what engines and transmissions we take is still being decided." All engines use direct injection and turbocharging and the idle stop/start engine shut-off.  Mercedes-Benz Australia is expected to put its hand up for all three petrol engines, starting with the 1.6-litre turbo mills powering the 90kW/200Nm A180 and the 100kW/250Nm A200. Both will be sold in Europe with six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch manual automated transmissions, while the A250 will be an auto-only offering.  There are four diesel engines though Mercedes-Benz Australia is only thought to be looking at the 100kW/300Nm A200 CDI and the top-spec A220 with 125kW/350Nm. The standard features run from a radar-based crash-avoidance system that should prevent nose-to-tail shunts at up to 30km/h to direct integration with Apple's Siri voice-control system to let drivers navigate the web or their iPhone while on the move. Its safety credentials are all but guaranteed — the B-Class is built on the same platform and has just been rated the safest car ANCAP has yet tested. Mercedes has yet to announce pricing for the A-Class but Carsguide expects it to start in the mid $30,000s and climb to around $50,000 for the A250. The A-Class is one of the models Mercedes sees taking it back to the top of the global prestige car heap and the five-door hatch will be priced and equipped to compete with the likes of BMW's 1 Series and the Audi A3.  

Cars will inevitably be taxed according to their exhaust emission ratings, the Australian motor industry has conceded.Conservationists are calling on South Australia to take the lead in slapping a tax on vehicles where the fee rises according to the amount of emissions. The tax would be at new-sale time or on annual registration renewals.The Motor Trade Association acknowledged the growing interest in vehicles that are less harmful to the environment.“At some point, governments will tax vehicles on their emissions and greenhouse gas,” MTA state executive director John Chapman told The Advertiser .“We are not advocating that, but it will come.”Mr Chapman said the swing to smaller cars and the flattening off of large-car sales was due to motorists' concern about fuel economy.“People are more environmentally aware and wanting to know how we can reduce the (environmental) footprint and what they can do,” he said.Mr Chapman said motor vehicles were only a partial contributor to greenhouse gases “but our industry needs to be concerned about these issues.”Some countries already have vehicle taxes depending on each model's carbon dioxide emissions.In Australia, each new car must carry a sticker on the windscreen showing its officially-rated fuel consumption in litres/100km and its “greenhouse” C02 emissions in grams/km. The latter figure determines levels of taxing overseas.The Conservation Council in SA wants a similar system here.“It has to be user pays,” said council chief executive Julie Pettet. “If you are responsible for pollution you are going to have to pay.”Ms Pettet said such taxing should not be just punitive but also reward those doing the right thing such as using public transport. She added the taxes should be a federal activity.   Top-rated Toyota Prius: 1.5-litre petrol and electric (4.4litre/100km)Fiat Punto: 1.4-litre petrol (5.7)Peugeot 207CC: 1.6-litre petrol (5.8)Citroen C3: 1.6-litre petrol (6.2)Mercedes-Benz A150: 1.5-litre petrol (6.7)Holden Astra: 1.8-litre petrol (7.4)Honda Civic: 1.8litre petrol (6.9)