Daily Archives: July 26, 2018
3 Things That Make the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan Stand Out
Americans can finally get their hands on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan for the 2019 model year. The US market hasn’t been able to take advantage of the German brand’s most affordable model for the longest time, but that’s about to change with the arrival of the A-Class to American soil.
Exterior
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is basically a European-spec A-Class hatchback without the fifth door but with slightly updated standard equipment. It looks pretty much the same as the A-Class hatch, thanks to its triangular headlights that are on the A-Class and the CLS-Class.
Compared to the CLA-Class, which was the cheapest Mercedes model the US got, the A-Class Sedan is about three inches shorter in length though the wheelbase is 1.1-inch longer. It’s 0.3 inches taller than the CLA-Class, which means a better headroom compared to the CLA-Class. Without counting the mirrors, both models are about 70 inches in width.
Interior
There’s a wide variety of equipment available inside the cabin. Nothing looks cheap inside the A-Class Sedan. There is plenty of switchgear inside the A-Class Sedan that mostly can be found inside the more expensive German cars. Standard equipment includes a 7-inch gauge screen and a matching 7-inch infotainment screen, though buyers can upgrade both screens to 10.25 inches.
Drivetrain
There will only be two trims available for the A-Class sedan for now: the front-wheel-drive A220 and the all-wheel-drive A220 4Matic. Both of these variants will come packed with the same engine—a 2.0-liter gas inline-4 that produces 188 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with an electronically-limited top speed of 130 mph.
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan will go on sale in the US late this year. Prices have not been announced, so stay tuned for that.
Ex-Fiat Boss Sergio Marchionne Dies At 66
Tributes are pouring in for former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne who died on Wednesday after complications from a shoulder surgery. The former chief executive of FCA and architect of the brand’s dramatic turnaround was 66 when he died.
Marchionne died in a hospital in Zurich less than a week after he has been replaced as CEO of FCA. This report was confirmed through a statement from Exor NV, the holding company of Fiat’s founding Agnelli family. Marchionne’s health deteriorated following complications from a shoulder surgery done in late June.
In another statement, FCA chairman John Elkann, who was unaware of Marchionne’s deteriorating health prior to the surgery, said that him and his family “will be forever grateful for what he has done.”
His death left a wide gaping hole in the succession for FCA CEO because he and Elkann have not discussed a possible heir to the company. On July 21, during an emergency meeting of the FCA’s board of directors, Mike Manley, formerly of Jeep and Ram brands, succeeded Marchionne as CEO. Louis C. Camilleri will take over the operations of Ferrari while Suzanne Heywood will succeed Marchionne as chairman of truck and farm-equipment maker CNH Industrial NV.
Some Italian reports said Marchionne had been suffering from a rare form of cancer, but people close to the former FCA boss said he died of cardiac arrest and did not have cancer.
Marchionne was responsible for boosting the company’s value by more than 10-fold. When he first joined the company, he restructured the auto business and separated the assets. One of his major moves was the 2015 listing of supercar-maker Ferrari NV, where he was also CEO and chairman.
He had a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to his job but his partners and his employees have come to love that about the man who former Ford Motor Co. chairman Bill Ford called was “one of the most respected leaders in the industry.”
Marchionne and his estranged wife, Orlandina, had two children, Alessio and Tyler. His partner, Manuela Battezzato, works in Fiat Chrysler’s press office.