The 2014 C class gets a new architecture, more rear seat room.Photo credit: CHRIS DOANE PHOTOGRAPHY
A bigger and roomier Mercedes-Benz C class will have a more dynamic exterior styling to challenge the BMW 3 series and the redesigned Audi A4 also due next year, sources told Automobilwoche, Automotive News Europe’s sibling publication.
A car lot in Munich, Germany, displays used BMW cars.Photo credit: Bloomberg
BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group are all pushing sales of used cars as demand for new models in Germany slumps as consumers stay out of showrooms.
The American auto industry is about to go on a hiring spree as car makers and parts suppliers race to find engineers, technicians and factory workers to build the next generation of vehicles.
The new employees will be part of a larger, busier workforce. From coast to coast, the industry is in top gear. Factories are operating at about 95 percent of capacity, and many are already running three shifts. As a result, some auto and parts companies are doing something they’ve been reluctant to consider since the recession: Adding floor space and spending millions of dollars on new equipment.
The A class is a key part of CEO Dieter Zetsche’s goal of catching rivals BMW and Audi.
Daimler is recalling more than 6,000 of its new Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchbacks because of problems with the passenger airbag.
Mercedes-Benz plans to launch a subcompact car range with the help of Renault-Nissan, a German magazine reported.
The cars, badged as X-class models, would be priced below 20,000 euros and compete with BMW’s Mini brand and the Audi A1, AutoBild said. The models would fill a gap between the Smart brand and the Mercedes A- and B-class compacts.
