Mercedes-Benz A-Class

A class is the name of a compact model of the automotive brand Mercedes -Benz. It was registered under the registration number 000114082 for Daimler AG brand in the European register. A-Class is the first Mercedes model for passenger cars with front-wheel drive in the compact class, and was developed from the study A. From the first two in 1991 developed prototypes of Study A was there one with electric drive, the other with a combustion engine. Until 1997, the version with electric drive and considerable power values ​​was developed.

In October 1997, introduced the Mercedes-Benz A class with internal combustion engines on the market. In a mass production of the electric A-Class has been omitted for economic reasons. The electric version was used from 1998 to the duration of testing. She created the test vehicles NECAR the basis for today's designs, E-Cell and F-Cell with alternative drive systems. Mercedes -Benz A-Class was the pioneer in the minivans. New were the position of the motor and the sandwich structure of the floor assembly of the A - class introduction.

• 3.1 1997
• 3.2 2001
• 3.3 2004
• 3.4 2005
• 3.5 2012
• 3.6 generations and derivatives
• 3.7 registrations in Germany, market positioning and competition: monopoly case, reconnection

Motor assembly (Series 168/169 )

In order to provide plenty of space for passengers and usable space, the front-end ( bonnet ) with the compact A-Class is very short. Hence, the need, at a high crash safety with the aspects

• The degradation of the kinetic energy to be able to fall back on an acceptable level without delay to deformable consoles (so-called crash boxes ), since this build too long and
• Anyway to prevent in a crash that the survival space is reduced in the passenger compartment by the deformation,

Having to resort to a different concept.

The motor is not, as in conventional front wheel drive, arranged ahead of the two drive shafts, it is inclined forward beyond them. In this case, viewed from the side, a triangular arrangement of the drive unit of the engine is in front of the passenger compartment, which slides in a crash by the car.

Thus, despite the short stem can be a long crumple zone to absorb the energy made ​​available in a frontal impact, resulting in a high level of crash safety results. Special emphasis was also placed on the compatibility, such as the head-on crash with a heavier vehicle.

The innovations described were patented as

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

And are in the automotive industry as a revolutionary. The disadvantage is the necessary special design of the engine and transmission, which complicates a cross-platform application and thus increases the cost.

Sandwich -shaped base assembly (Series 168/169 )

Another innovation is the sandwich floor. It features compact exterior dimensions high occupant safety, economy of space and variability. The system of longitudinal and transverse beams fulfills requirements for frontal and side crash, the only bigger cars are possible otherwise. In the sandwich floor -board battery, exhaust system and fuel tank are housed. In TIREFIT the spare wheel is not necessary. The space can then be used for luggage.

The Sandwich base is also suitable for the realization of alternative drive concepts, without the usable space is limited. In these intermediate floor the Zebra battery was mounted from below already in the version with electric drive in 1997. The new E -Cell of the sandwich in addition takes the lithium - ion battery, F- Cell fuel cell technology.

Advantage to accommodate alternative propulsion units

The bottom group in so-called sandwich construction provides space for alternative drive elements such as

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

The installation can take place easily accessible from below and limits the space available in the vehicle only to a small degree a.

Safety benefit in alternative drive

The protection of occupants from the heavy batteries or pressure tank, for example in a rollover, is the key to solving security problem on all vehicles with alternative drives. Mercedes broke with the sandwich floor the problem, brought it but then not apply.

Due to the encapsulation of alternative drive elements in a separate room under the passenger compartment, the alternative drive elements are safely kept away from the occupants in the event of an accident, including an overturn.

Disadvantages

When using a sandwich floor, the center of gravity due to the higher position of all located on the sandwich elements (seats, people, umbrella group) shifted upward. This requires a different suspension tuning. In contrast, alternative drive the increased weight is taken into account in the suspension tuning.

Mercedes corrected the public become the elk test stability problems of the A-Class consistently by stopping production and extensive retrofits with stiffer stabilizers and the first standard ESP in the compact class.

History of the A-Class

1997

In October 1997, the first generation A- Class has been introduced.

2001

As of March 2001, the program was extended to a version with an extended wheelbase. The original model with a short wheelbase has been given a facelift.

2004

In October 2004, the second generation model came with wider track on the market. She was no longer only as a five-door model, but also as a three-door (Coupe ) available. The short-wheelbase version was omitted.

2005

In June 2005, in addition the closely related B-Class has been introduced. It has the same gauge as the A-Class, but 21 cm longer wheelbase and a 43 cm long body.

2012

Since September 2012, the third generation of the A-Class on the market. The sandwich-floor concept was abandoned in this as well as the concept of the minivan. It is, rather, a much flatter (height 1.43 m = 18 centimeters lower than its predecessor ) and wider (1.78 m wide) hatchback model, which can be fully attributed to the compact class now. The length is 4.29 meters.

Generations and derivatives

• A- Class (W 168 ) ( 1997-2004)

• Vaneo ( 414 W ) (2001-2005)

• A- Class (W 169/ 169 C ) ( 2004-2012 )

• B-Class (T 245 ) ( 2005-2011 )

• A- Class (W 176 ) (since 2012)

• B -Class (W 246 ) (since 2011)
• CLA -Class ( C 117 ) (since 2013)
• GLA -Class ( X 156 ) (since 2013)

Registrations in Germany, market positioning and competition: monopoly case, reconnection

While the A-Class in its first full year of new registrations in 1998 reached rank 16 of the German vehicle statistics, rose Neuzulassen further in 1999, reaching the highest level to date. At the same time it is the 1999, the only year in which the registrations had exceeded the 100,000 units mark, so that the A- class was ranked 7. The A-Class was thus established itself in the top 10. Also in 2000, the A-Class held the seventh rank, in 2001 slipped two places to rank from 9. 2002 landed the A-Class in 11th place (-2), which was held in 2003 and 2004. Due to the introduction of the 169 series in October 2004, new car registrations rose in the first full year of sales in this same series on the best value since 2001. Placed you on rank 6, the highest placement to date. In 2006, new car registrations fell again, the A-Class lost five ranks and landed on the 11th this place was the model for the subsequent year. In line with the aging process and by new models of its competitors due to the A-Class from 2008 lost relatively strong and finished 2008 12 (-1), 2009, only the 18th place (-6). 2010 won the A- Class at the end of their production cycle again to ride and has positioned itself on rank 14 ( 4). However, in 2011 lost the A-Class again ( rank 21, -7 ), which was confirmed in 2012 ( rank 25, -4 ). However, there was a production break of half a year between the end of production 169 series and the start of production of the Series 176, which is unusually long and the previous model when change was not the case, what explains the significantly lower figures for 2012.

DaimlerChrysler respectively Daimler saw and sees the direct competitor of the A-Class and the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series. From the first full year of the A-Class was introduced well before the one year prior to the A-Class Audi A3. This was the A-Class through to and including 2005. Only then, not least because of the entry in the compact class of BMW with the 1 Series, the introduction of conceptually similarly situated VW Golf Plus and the introduction of the B-Class, the same thing at the time concept as the A-Class pursued, it was only slightly larger and thus also robbed the A-Class buyer lost the A -Class 2006 to the first rank among the three premium manufacturers close to the A3, however, claimed before the still new 1 Series, which had continued in 2007. From 2008, the distance between the duo A3 and 1 Series, which had overtaken the A-Class from then on was, and it is this larger. By 2012, the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series attached the A-Class from increasing. It was not until 2013 ( as of September ) was the A-Class due to the radical change of approach - 4,500 shorten the distance to just about 1,000 units of the BMW 1 Series and deutlichst on the Audi A3 - away from the conceptual minivan, back to the usual format of the compact class.

The A-Class has, despite initial difficulties become an important pillar of the Mercedes-Benz brand and today in addition to the B-, C- and E - class, the core portfolio represents the high in the first years registration figures resulted from a lack of competition and a then innovative new concept.