 |
| New Mercedes-Benz A-Class |
The Mercedes-Benz product offensive continues in 2019 with eight new models and seven facelifted models set to be introduced here, writes Trish Whelan.
Amongst them will be models that demonstrate the car maker’s goal of reinventing the future of the automobile by developing new ‘green’ models and new technologies that are in harmony with current ecological thinking.
These goals have led to the new ‘electric-intelligent’ EQ brand and will influence the development of an additional 10 new models by 2022.
Next year we will see petrol-mild hybrids, petrol and diesel plug-in hybrids, and EQC, a full electric, mid-size SUV with a one-charge 420km range.
New models to hit the road in January will include facelifted C-Class models in saloon, coupe, estate and cabriolet variants.
February/March will see a new A-Class saloon and an all-new B-Class range. These models have been to the fore in attracting a new, more youthful generation of motorists to the Mercedes-Benz brand. The A-Class is perhaps the single most pivotal model in the company’s portfolio, providing the platform on which all of seven new models will be built, including the new A-Saloon and B-Class.
From April to June, a new CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLE with a 7-seat option will arrive here. June will see a facelifted V-Class and the arrival of the electric-powered EQC, a model styled on the new GLC.
New arrivals in the July/September period will include a new GLS. Also due in July will be the facelifted GLC Coupe and SUV models.
In the period October/December, end of year activity will focus on the arrival of the all new GLB. This model slots into the range just below the GLC and is a mid-size SUV with a 7-seat option.
2019 will also see technology spread across the NGCC range - technology such as the voice-activated ‘Hey Mercedes’ driver assistance programme introduced in the new A-Class.
Appealing to a young audience, NGCC models now account for over 35pc of Mercedes-Benz sales in Ireland - a position which Ciaran Allen, sales manager for Mercedes-Benz in Ireland says ‘is helped by the availability of attractive PCP and other low-interest finance options'.
