Mercedes-Benz B-Class 2014 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.

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.

None of us wants to crash our shiny new car but, if we do, we want to know we're safe. That's where the Australian New Car Assessment Program's standardised crash-testing analysis is invaluable, providing comparable ratings for vehicles of all types.The ANCAP site notes that a one-star car is twice as likely to kill you as a five-star model. Carsguide examines ANCAP's results to find the best of breed in each segment. It's worth noting the advanced software in some cars that readies the vehicle if a crash is imminent are disabled during the official tests. Cars are scored out of 37 points after the following tests.FRONTAL OFFSET TEST: The subject vehicle is accelerated to 64km/h and rammed into a deformable alloy barrier to simulate a head-on crash. To increase the severity and reproduce real-world conditions only 40 per cent of the car hits the wall - equating to a driver swerving to avoid an oncoming vehicle.SIDE IMPACT TEST: The T-bone hit rams a 950kg trolley into the side of the car at 50km/h. The sled has an alloy face to simulate the front of another vehicle, which deforms and absorbs some of the impact.PEDESTRIAN TEST: Simulates the results of hitting a pedestrian at 40km/h. The test assesses adult and child impacts, given their heads and limbs strike different areas of the car.POLE TEST: This is the most demanding test in the ANCAP repertoire. Trees and poles don't deform, so all the crash energy is transferred to the vehicle. The car is put on a sled and propelled towards a fixed steel pole at 29km/h.SAFEST SMALL CARSAUDI A3 36.41 See reviews of this carOfficially the best small car to occupy in an accident. Impressively, the windscreen pillar didn't move after a 64km/h hit with the concrete block.  HONDA INSIGHT 36.39 See reviews of this carIts score reflects a 3mm movement of the pillar in the frontal offset test and "slight risk" of serious leg injury for driver and passenger.   BMW 1 SERIES HATCH 36.33 See reviews of this carThere's a slight risk of serious chest injury for the driver in the frontal and side crash test and a slight risk of serious leg injury for the passenger in the frontal crash.   SAFEST MEDIUM CARSMERCEDES B-CLASS 36.78 See reviews of this carTops the charts with the highest score of any car in ANCAP database. Technically there's a 4mm movement of the front pillar and a slight risk of injury to the passenger leg closest the door.  BMW 3 SERIES 36.76 See reviews of this carBarely behind. It showed a 1mm movement of the pillar and there was a slight risk of serious injury to the driver's and passenger's legs.VOLVO V40 36.67 See reviews of this carThe only loss of points occurred during the frontal crash test, with a slight risk of serious injury to the front occupants' legs closest the door and the driver's chest.SAFEST LARGE CARSTOYOTA AURION 36.59 See reviews of this carFirst place in this class makes it the only locally built vehicle in any top-three line-up. There's a slight risk of lower leg injury for driver and passenger.   BMW 5 Series 36.53 See reviews of this carNot a bad place to be in the event of an accident either. It blitzed the side impact tests and only lost fractions of points in the head-on hit.    VOLVO S60 36.34 See reviews of this carSweden maintains its safety credentials. The passenger compartment stayed intact with only a 1mm movement of the front pillar.    SAFEST COMPACT SUVS SUBARU XV 35.53 See reviews of this carLike the slightly lower-riding Impreza, the XV scored highly in all crashes, with a slight risk of injury to the front occupants' chests and legs.    HOLDEN TRAX 35.18 See reviews of this carThe surprise packet. One of the smaller cars in the class has only a slight risk of serious leg injury for those in the front in a head-on crash.   Skoda Yeti 34.67 See reviews of this carDepite being one of the older examples in this segment, the Yeti still rates well for safety, with only a slight risk of serious leg injury for those in the front in a head-on crash.    SAFEST MEDIUM SUVSVOLVO XC60 36.53 See reviews of this carANCAP says the cabin 'held its shape extremely well" in the frontal test, with the pillar shifting just 3mm. There was a slight risk of serious chest and leg injuries to the driver.  FORD KUGA 36.33 See reviews of this carA solid second, posing a slight risk of serious chest injury for both front seat occupants. The front pillar moved 15mm.   HONDA CR-V 35.91 See reviews of this carPlaced well despite being penalised for the foot-operated park brake moving upwards and back. Structurally there was only a 2mm movement of the pillar.  SUBARU FORESTER 35.64 See reviews of this carTested this year, it scored highly in all crashes, with a slight risk of injury to the front occupants' chests and legs.   SUBARU OUTBACK 35.52 See reviews of this carFills the brand's quinella. Crashed in 2008 and at the time topped the charts as the safest vehicle ANCAP had tested. SAFEST LARGE SUVSMERCEDES-BENZ ML 36.34 See reviews of this car Luxury SUV has a slight risk of serious chest injury for driver and passenger in the head-on hit and a slight risk of serious leg injury for the passenger. The pillar moved 2mm. RANGE ROVER 36.19 See reviews of this carBig Brit has a slight risk of serious chest injury for the driver and the pillar shifted by 15mm.   NISSAN PATHFINDER 35.73 See reviews of this carSlight risk of serious leg injury for the driver. Unlike the other two, it applies to the upper leg as well as the expected lower-leg hits. Docked points for a marginal pedestrian impact result.

Mercedes-Benz could be working on its own answer to the electric BMW i3, according to a new report. Speaking with Reuters, Daimler CFO Bodo Uebber said the German giant will increase its focus on small cars, in a bid to lower the average age of its buyers.Uebber also said that Mercedes “could use more” involvement with Tesla -- the US electric car brand founded by Elon Musk – in which the German brand has held a stake since 2009.The first fruit of this technological alliance will be the B-Class Electric Drive, which will use a Tesla-supplied motor and battery system when it goes on sale internationally next year.While the B-Class is smaller than Mercedes’ conventional C, E and S class models, the Uebber’s words point to the possibility of electric variants of the smaller-again A-Class or CLA models, to sit above electric versions of the upcoming 2015 Smart Fortwo.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

Autonomous braking systems could save 250 lives and around $5 billion a year, according to Australia’s vehicle crash-testing body.Australian New Car Assessment Program chief executive Nicholas Clarke said automated emergency braking systems are the “next big thing” for vehicle safety.“AEB can probably be considered the next seat belt or electronic stability control equivalent in terms of saving lives,” Clarke said. “Advanced safety assist technology can help remove the weakest link when it comes to car crashes; the driver. “If every car on the road was equipped with AEB, the toll would fall by around 25 per cent.”Many carmakers already offer models with automated braking systems. The cheapest is the Volvo V50 wagon, which is priced from $42,990. Ford’s $33,840 Focus Titanium and the $38,950 Mercedes-Benz B-Class can both be optioned with the technology, costing $2300 and $2500 respectively.AEB systems use video cameras, radars or lasers to scan the road and determine the distance to the vehicle ahead and its relative speed. When the AEB-equipped vehicle gets too close, the software sounds a warning and then actively engages the brakes if the driver fails to respond.Australia was the first country to legislate compulsory seat belt use in 1970-’72. Global motoring body, the FIA, says wearing seat belts has reduced fatalities by 20 per cent in Australia since that date. Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport figures state the economic impact of the 1288 deaths last year was around $27 billion.ANCAP’s “road map” of technologies required in future cars lists AEB as an optional system for five-star certification by 2017. Clarke expects to have that date revised down _ and predicts it will be mandatory, rather than optional. “We’re already talking to carmakers and lobbying the federal government to introduce these systems as soon as possible,” he said.Pedestrian Council of Australia head Harold Scruby is an enthusiastic supporter of the safety technology but doesn’t expect to see any quick action from the government. “I’ve actually been to see Catherine King pleading with her to mandate rear-vision cameras, which would cost about $100 a vehicle,” he said.“Unfortunately, this seemed to fall on deaf ears. If we can’t get reversing cameras mandated, what hope have we got getting this technology into the Australian Design Rules?” Drivers who buy cars with the technology should also benefit from lower insurance premiums, with some companies offering up to 20 per cent off the regular premium for AEB-equipped models.AEB EXPLAINEDAutonomous emergency braking systems use video cameras, radar or lasers to scan the road ahead and assess the vehicle’s speed as well as the speed of the car in front. Most warn the driver in the approach speed is too high and then automatically apply the brakes if an impending nose-to-tail crash is detected.Depending on the situation, the systems can either prevent an accident outright or dramatically cut the severity of the impact - and therefore the damage to the vehicles and occupants. There is no industry standard for the software. As a result, three differing versions are now sold. The first works at typical city speeds of below 30km/h; others operate at highway speeds. Finally, some systems also detect and react to pedestrians walking out into the vehicle’s path. 

The old one was a bit average. But there's no missing the big effort that Mercedes-Benz has put into its new B-Class runaround.Who knows maybe Benz may finally acknowledge the car as a real part of the range instead of pretending it doesn't exist?There's also going to be an off road SUV version that will reside on the same mechanical platform.The new B-Class is going to be offered for a red hot entry price when it hits the showrooms in April - $38,950 - less than the old one. We had a quick look at the new B-Class this week.Apart from the agressive new styling, huge strides have been made with the interior which looks more like the luxury vehicle that it is supposted to be. A big effort has been made to make the car look more sporty, which is reflected in the reduced height.At 1557mm it sits almost five centimetres lower on the road than its predecessor. The seat height in relation to the road has also been reduced in order to facilitate ease of entry.In response to requests the sitting position is also more upright. The dash is dominated by chunky aircraft style air vents, a la the halo SLS sportscar.The range kicks off with the B 180 Blue Efficiency with a 90kW petrol engine, followed by the B200 Blue Efficiency with 115kW petrol engine then the range topping B 200 CDI Blue Effiency with a 100kW turbodiesel engine.The two 1.6-litre direct injection turbocharged petrol engines are good for 6.1 litres/100km while the diesel is rated at 4.7 litres/100km. New to the range is Benz's Pre-Safe system which locks the vehicle down if a collision is imminent as well as Collision prevention assist.The latter is a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist which lowers the risk of rear-end collisions. There's also a 7 speed dual clutch DCT transmission, Eco start/stop which shuts down the engine at traffic lights and an electric parking brake.The car will also be available with a multimedia system that offers internet access. Customers can surf the web while the car is stationary or call up an app whose particularly fast page loading and simple operation make it suitable for use while driving.Integrated apps include Google Local Search and Weather, and the facility for downloading a route which has previously been configured on a PC using Google Maps and transmitted to the car.The current B-Class is a hugely practical little car, offering surprising comfort for four adults and the new one is sure to build on this base.

The new Mercedes-Benz B Class is coming out at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and final tests are under way with production-ready cars wearing minimal disguise over the more stylish new B’s body.

Mercedes-Benz is out to revitalise and re-invent its boxy B-Class with an all-new model aimed directly at the winner of the Carsguide and World car of the year awards over the past 18 months.The new B is also expected to spark a range of spin-off models including a curvy new coupe similar to a scaled-down Benz CLS, as well as a compact SUV.  The Carparazzi crew has been on the case and, as well as catching the B-Class during development trials, has stripped away the on-the-road camouflage panels for a peek at how the new contender is likely to look.It has created a picture of a B-Class that is a lot less boxy than today's compact, but still with a mini-wagon look which should work for people shopping it against baby SUVs including the latest BMW X1.  The B will have a big job in Australia as Mercedes is planning to dump its smallest model, the A-Class, and using the new baby B as its local lead-off once buyers step up from the Smart class.Globally, Benz is aiming to substantially lower the age of existing B- Class owners - who are mostly in the 60-plus retirement bracket.  Carparazzi says the new B-Class will be pitched as a sports-tourer in Europe to compete with the Golf, although little is known about potential powerplants beyond the need for a hybrid alongside the regular petrol and BlueEfficiency diesels.

It's a road-up rework of the compact B-Class and it should be in Australia in 2011.  The new B is being tested in snowy conditions in Scandinavia under heavy disguise, but early details have already emerged.For at start, in Australia the new B will signal the end of sales of the baby A-Class. The two cars have competed for similar customers in recent years and Mercedes-Benz should confirm a future push that is built around the B-Class car.The design of the new B, according to Carparazzi sources in Europe, will be much less boxy and more like the hatchbacks fielded by everyone from Audi and Ford to Volkswagen.It will still have a high seating position and a multi-function cabin, but the overall look will be very different and more youthful.  The objective is to win younger buyers, and not just the middle-aged empty nesters and 60-plus retirees that currently chose the B-Class. And the Golf is the target.  Mercedes clearly plans to make the car a Golf beater and that also means the 2011 B-Class will have super-efficient petrol and diesel engines, but further into the future the car is also expected to be built as a petrol-electric hybrid and then - with the Smart as the focus for plug-in electric motoring - a fuel cell car powered by hydrogen.