The B-Class and Smart are disaster waiting to happen if they try and sell them in the U.S. Mercedes is seen as purely a luxury brand here and a 20K hatchback doesn't belong here. The Japanese and Koreans are still going to provide more value because at 22K I bet that would be a stripped to the frame rails B200T. Mercedes needs to concentrate on quality and premium products, there is much more money to be made at that end of the market and if Mercedes would have never dropped the ball in quality (which cost them a lot of their rep and sales) they would realize this.

M

True, but greater revenues and sales to top BMW are such an unresistible temptation for MB.

Yeah, but the A-Class and B-Class can't touch the 1-Series for driving dynamics.

Also, I don't really see a target market for both these Benzes in the US. Canada is somewhat of a testmarket for Mercedes and the B-Class was well received there, but I don't think that will be the case in the US.

Having driven a couple of B-Classes, I can safely say that they're quality cars. Well-built, solid and decent interiors. From a driving POV though, the B-Class is a total dissapointment. The suspension is too soft and the steering is too light and offers little feedback. Hardly a "sports tourer" as Mercedes' markets it.

On the plus side, the engines are all refined and zippy. The B200 Turbo even torque steers!

The B is not coming to the US. The current exchange rate isn't favorable for Mercedes to seel such a low priced car in the US. It is also an image thing, and along the same lines of the exchange rate, MB wants to have a 7% margin for all their cars which they couldn't possibly have with the B.

The B class did earn 5 stars in the NCAP crash test.

I think they used the exchange right factor as an excuse to dump their plans for selling the B-Class in the US. At that time, MB looked like they were serious about selling the B-Class in America.

The 5-star rating is good news, but if this car were sold in America, that wouldn't be enough to create buyer appeal. Yes, there would be buyers, but you'd also be alienating some of the MB crowd who'd feel that this car is diluting the image of their brand / current car.

The word sport is IMO actual sport, not a sporty car. Like you can go having all sorts of activities and sports with this thing. Take you golf bag or surf board with you, etc...

The small car segment and getting bigger and more important in the US. Higher fuel, nasty image of gas guzzlers and environment issues are things that help this development. That's all I got to say about this subject. Oh, and also think the B-class looks really good.

A car like the B-Class would certainly be welcomed in the US given current conditions, but it will need to be rebadged as a car that doesn't have the three-pointed-star upfront. Smart perhaps...

i'm surprised....because correct me if i'm wrong, the B-class is in the Canadian market

The B-Class is sold in Canada. Correct.

Even though Canada and America are neighbours, they have two completely different perceptions of the Mercedes-Benz brand. It has often been said that MB uses Canada as a sort of "test market" for products that may or may not be sold in the US. For example, MB sells Classic (cheapest) trim level C-Classes in Canada: cloth seats, plastic hubcaps, no exterior chrome imitating plastic and generally poorly equipped. Such cars would never sell in the US, but they do sell in Canada to a degree apparently.

Same with the B-Class. A Canadian friend of mine, who works for an MB dealer in Victoria, Canada, says the B-Clas s in his area is quite popular. I wouldn't know too much about the Canadian car market though since I'm far away in Europe. I just know they like the B-Class, because B-Class sales in that market have not been poor.

The trend towards smaller and more fuel efficient cars has caused DaimlerChrysler to consider importing Mercedes’ small A and B-class small cars to the US. Mercedes doesn’t sell these cars in the US because of fears it would damage the luxury brand’s exclusivity. Currently, the cheapest sedan is a C230 that begins at just over US$30K, but if the smaller cars were imported they’d have to be much cheaper than this. Mercedes was previously looking at importing the B-class, but the weak dollar made the business case for it unappealing. The German carmaker has also said it’s looking for a partner to develop and manufacture its next generation small cars to help reduce costs.
BMW is also planning to bring its 1-series small car to the US, which will mean the perennial rivals will have yet another segment to fight over.