Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2015 News

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of national safety recalls, with models from Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroen, Ram and Aston Martin affected.

They would have learned everything they need to know at the world's most successful new car show, the Goodwood Festival of Speed.Goodwood has been running for many years, but more recently it's morphed from a garden party at the stately home of the Earl of March into a genuine motor show which draws every major maker in the UK - and beyond.So what began as a chance for the owners of historic racing cars to exercise their old-timers is now a major event that draws more than 200,000 people each June on the same weekend as the Glastonbury music festival.Some fantastic retired racers still sprint up the Earl's driveway but it's the modern stuff which is drawing the big crowds and the big brands.Goodwood is an event and a destination, proving that cars are still more than just appliances for a lot of peopleMercedes-Benz uses the weekend to unveil its facelifted A45 AMG and new C63 S, Aston Martin rips the covers off its $2.5 million Vulcan and launches it up the hill, and Peugeot shows its 308 GTI for the first time. Mazda, which is the star brand at the show and has its Le Mans winning rotary 787B doing noisy demonstration runs, has its all-new MX-5 in action.There is also a moving motor show where ordinary fans can take a passenger ride and a supercar cavalcade including all of the world's most desirable cars, right up to the 400km/h Ferrari FXX K.And that's the real key to the Festival of Speed. The cars move and there is lots of interactivity for visitors, from off-road driving events to racing car simulators and even kiddie slides.Did I mention Ken 'Gymkhana' Block in the outrageous Ford Mustang that starred in his most-recent internet video hit?Old-school motor shows are just giant showrooms, but Goodwood is an event and a destination, proving that cars are still more than just appliances for a lot of people. If it can work in Britain then the same formula should be just as tasty in Australia.

Albert Park hosts motoring's finest this weekend - and there will be an F1 race, too.

Last year the vehicle market notched up a record with 1,136,227 sales, busting the previous zenith by about 24,000 and confirming that in Australia, one million-plus is the norm.Figures for November, released last week, show sales have already passed the million mark, and when the final tally emerges in early January the industry will congratulate itself on another bumper year.In reality, it has spent most of 2014 in reverse and it would take a freak December to even approach last year's total.If the trend holds, then the overall decline will be about 2 per cent - equivalent to 500 fewer buyers a week. But it's a mixed picture for the 50 or so brands, with the gap between winners and losers larger than ever.With one or two exceptions, the winners by a substantial margin are luxury brands. Their share of the market now approaches 9 per cent, up from 7.7 per cent last year, and it's reflected in some impressive numbers.The German luxury trio dominates but Australia bucks the trend by favouring Mercedes-Benz ahead of BMW and Audi.With its small car range - the A, B, CLA and GLA - flying out of showrooms, the three-pointed star is stretching its lead over BMW and rubs it in by selling more of its expensive performance variants as well.Its bestseller, the C-Class, has been available for only a few months but will finish the year as the third most popular mid-size car at any price - behind only the Toyota Camry and Mazda6.Audi's ambition is to overtake its German peers and become No 1 here, replicating its position in Europe and China. After slowing in 2012, its growth spurt has resumed and it's catching BMW on the strength of its award-winning A3 small car.Some of the second-tier luxury brands are powering ahead even faster. Thanks to its new-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, demand for the British SUV specialist is up 22 per cent. It will finish as the fourth most popular luxury marque.Ironically, SUV demand is also powering Porsche. It cannot get enough of its second SUV, the Macan, and waiting times are stretching the patience of buyers. Without the Macan, Porsche was on track for a record. With it, sales are up almost 50 per cent. When Maserati adds an SUV, the Levante, in 2016 it can expect to get a comparable boost.Super-large, super-expensive SUVs are what the elite badges lack but they are all working on one. Even so, Maserati's push for volume is yielding results. The new-generation large sedans Ghibli and Quattroporte have almost tripled sales this year.Even among the luxury brands there are losers. Volvo lacks the deep pockets of the Germans and is struggling to keep its product pipeline full. Its dealers will doubtless breathe easier when the overdue replacement for its XC90 SUV arrives in the second quarter next year, with sales down 7 per cent in 2014.Lexus is another that has waited too long for fresh product and its NX mid-size SUV arrives too late to prevent it treading water.Among mainstream brands, losers are much easier to find than winners. Over-optimism and the pressure to grow meant many ended 2013 carrying too much stock, with Nissan the standout - but far from sole - example.The traditional solution to this problem, and one by no means limited to mainstream brands, is for the distributor and/or dealers to register cars themselves.It's a way of meeting sales targets but it simply saves up trouble, not the least of which is an excess of ageing 'demonstrator' models that sooner or later have to actually be sold. When they are, the sales have already been counted.Combine that with an assault on their traditional territory by the luxury brands and everyone from Toyota to Honda, Holden to Ford, has seen their numbers go south.But the biggest losers in 2014? Cheap Chinese brands, with Chery sales down 35 per cent and Great Wall almost 60 per cent.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

We’ve seen the new Mercedes A45 AMG take on aliens, cause an argument between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, storm around the Imola and Sydney Motorsport Park race circuits, and some of us have sampled its talents around Phillip Island. But the latest stop on Mercedes’ PR parade for the new baby AMG has taken us to South Africa for the latest official film; titled Silver Slipstreams. The video pits champion downhill skateboarder Decio Lourenco against an A45 driven by former pro-racer Robbi Smith as they hurtle down Franschhoek Pass in the Western Cape of South Africa. Both man and machine were able to enjoy the full width of the road, which was closed from its usual blend of fast motorcycle and slow tourist traffic for the three days of filming. Full of great slow-mo sequences including one spectacular slide through water, the daredevil manoeuvres of Lourenco almost steal the show, but there’s wisps of tyresmoke from the A45 to prove it was hardly coasting.   Watch the Silver Slipstreams video here.   This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn    

The $74,900 A45 AMG may halve the price of entry and average cylinder count of Mercedes-Benz’s performance brand, but the hot hatch well and truly delivers on performance expectations. With claimed 0-100km/h acceleration of 4.6 seconds and a limited top speed of 270km/h, the A45’s hand-built 265kW/450Nm M133 2.0 litre turbocharged engine is touted as “the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in series production.”   Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG Price: from $74,900 Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo; 265kW/450Nm Transmission: 7-speed auto, all-wheel-drive Thirst: 6.9L/100km                   RIVALS Price: from $64,900 Engine: 3.0L turbo six-cylinder, 235kW/450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic, RWD Thirst: 7.5L/100km, 175g/km CO2 Price: from $54,990 Engine: 2.5L turbo four-cylinder, 221kW/350Nm Transmission: 5-speed automatic, 4WD Thirst: 10.6L/100km, 249g/km CO2 Price: from $61,990 (Evolution X SST) Engine: 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, 217kW/366Nm Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic, 4WD Thirst: 10.1L/100km, 240g/km CO2  

The $74,900 A45 AMG may halve the price of entry and average cylinder count of Mercedes-Benz’s performance brand, but the hot hatch well and truly delivers on performance expectations.With claimed 0-100km/h acceleration of 4.6 seconds and a limited top speed of 270km/h, the A45’s hand-built 265kW/450Nm M133 2.0 litre turbocharged engine is touted as “the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in series production.”Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson Jerry Stamoulis says the A45’s arrival “will not just revolutionise the hot hatch market, but the performance market as a whole.”Backing that up, the A45’s official 0-100km/h figure eclipses Audi’s $149,400 RS4 Avant by 0.1 seconds, and trails its $154,900 C63 AMG sedan sibling by just two-tenths.  The impressive outputs have been made possible through a combination of piezo direct-injection, twin-scroll turbocharging, water-to-air intercooling, and a forged crankshaft and pistons -- all permitting a stratospheric maximum boost pressure of 26.5psi.The A45’s grunt is channelled through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto with paddle shifters and multiple shift modes, before being sent to all four wheels via Haldex-type all-wheel drive system that splits drive up to 50 per cent when needed. Despite all this caged mechanical lunacy, the A45 uses standard start/stop to return an amazing 6.9l/100km official combined fuel figure – less than a base model Toyota Corolla.The little AMG is the first A-Class to feature all-wheel drive, and includes re-engineered front and rear suspensions and a 350mm/330mm (four piston front) brake package to contain its 1555kg kerb weight.  There’s far more to the A45 story than just performance, with the lengthy standard features list including a panoramic glass sunroof, seven inch multimedia screen, with satnav, 10GB hard-drive and internet capability, plus 12 speaker Harmon Kardon audio, dual-zone climate control and heated seats with memory adjustment. The only remaining options are ($490) blackened wheels, ($1990) 20% stiffer coil springs, a ($1990) aero package, and a spacesaver wheel to expand on the standard puncture kit. An active sports exhaust is also standard, which emits sinfully indulgent cracks and pops when Sport mode is activated, and is reminiscent of a WRC car anti-lag system when in launch-mode.The A45’s interior is unmistakably AMG, with red highlights against perforated leather and trim, flat top and bottomed leather an alcantara multifunction steering wheel, aluminium and carbon-look details, specific sports seats, and numerous AMG logos. The instrument cluster also includes a lap-timer, which is controlled by the steering wheel’s audio controls.  With standard 19 inch multispoke wheels and 235/35 tyres all round, the only remaining options for Australian A45s are ($490) blackened wheels, ($1990) 20% stiffer coil springs, a ($1990) aero package, and a spacesaver wheel to expand on the standard puncture kit.The A45’s safety gear builds on the lesser A-Class models’ five star safety rating, with three stage stability control offering three choices of safety net, plus Distronic Plus active cruise control, blind-spot and lane-keeping assist. Despite such performance potential and high state of tune, the A45 maintains Mercedes’ standard 12 month/20,000km service intervals.The first local deliveries will start on September 1, but Mercedes has already taken 1000 orders for the A45, and expects 300 of these to arrive before the years end. The current A45 waiting list stretches to March 2014, but additional volume will shorten this queue in the new year. Mr Stamoulis confirmed that Australia’s order bank for the A45 currently ranks third globally behind the UK and Japan, with 60 per cent of buyers new to the AMG brand. Those interested in A45 performance in sedan guise will be able to choose the mechanically identical CLA45 AMG from October, with a pricetag of $87,000.    This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn

Tenacious grip and prodigious acceleration from the four-cylinder A45 AMG convinced AMG to roll out all-wheel drive across its ever-expanding line-up. The downside is right-hand drive markets such as Australia will have to wait for all-new models, rather than mid-life updates like the E-Class, to feel the difference. AMG’s E-Class project leader Dr Gerald Thater says the go-fast division of Mercedes-Benz quickly determined there is no downside to AWD as the weight gain is more than offset by higher performance. “I’d take all-wheel drive in the E-Class because it still drives like a rear-wheel car, but the limits are greater,” he says. “It adds to the performance in the dry, especially on the racetrack. In other times, in rain or snow, it adds more safety by spreading the torque across the drivetrain.” The system uses a planetary gearset off the seven-speed wet-clutch transmission to drive. Unlike many AWD options, the AMG version fixes torque distribution at 33/67 front-to-rear. The A-Class based A45 and CLA45 will be the first all-paw AMGs in Australia when they arrive later this year. They will be followed in 2014 by a C63 model but Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says rear-wheel and all-wheel drive versions will be sold. “There’s a market for both - traditional C63 buyers will still want rear drive,” McCarthy says. “That will also apply to the E-Class and CLS when the new models arrive... we plan to have both drivetrains across the range.”  

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.