The Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the smallest car produced by the German luxury automaker, was on the wish-list of many who wanted to see it marketed in North America. That finally happened a little over three years ago with the arrival of a car that generated really positive reviews.
Unfortunately, the well-documented struggles of automobiles in general being what they are, the experience is coming to a premature end. Automobile News magazine first reported that Mercedes has decided to pull the A-Class subcompact sedan from North America.
Mercedes-Benz later confirmed the decision to make the model’s 2022 edition its last here. Mercedes-Benz told Autoblog that “While the A-Class was extremely well received by our customers since its introduction in 2019, this decision is consistent with our ongoing effort to streamline our product offering strategy. The GLA SUV will take over the A-Class’ position as the entry point into the Mercedes-Benz U.S. product range.”
The carmaker’s statement applies to the American market, but it’s safe to assume the story is the same for Canada. We will advise you if that's not the case.
A simple look at the sales performance of the A-Class pretty much explains Mercedes-Benz’ decision to remove it from its North American lineup. In 2019, 17,641 units sold in the U.S; In 2021, only 8108. In Canada, sales went from 2,353 models in 2020 to 1,712 last year.
Luxury carmakers aim for great profitability with their models. A product that sells in fewer quantities must deliver a higher profit margin. The A-Class likely delivered the smallest profit margin of any model in the lineup, so to be “profitable”, the car had to sell very well. And despite its qualities, it never did. And ironically, its life was made more difficult by the presence in the lineup of the CLA and the GLA SUV.