New Mercedes A Class: 90,000 orders and counting

Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche has revealed that Mercedes already has 90,000 orders for the new A-Class just months after its reveal.

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The last Mercedes A-Class may have just been a marketing ploy by Mercedes to sell cars to their customers for ‘er indoors, but the new A-Class is a completely different car.

It’s a credible, good looking and clever car that’s a serious offering in the premium compact market and, if the order book for 70,000 A-Class Mercedes already had by the end of October is anything to go by, it’s going to be a roaring success.

That sales figure has now jumped to 90,000 A-Class – according to Mercedes boss, Dieter Zetsche – and stands at double the order book Volkswagen has for the new MK 7 Golf. No mean feat (even if VW opened the order book for the new Golf later than Mercedes did with the new A Class).

Those strong – and still growing – sales for the new A Class are good news for Mercedes, but they are a bit of a double-edged sword. Yes, they will help Mercedes drive sales volume forward to their 2.6 million target by 202, but they will do so at the expense of profit.

The real money for Mercedes comes from the high-end cars – like the S Class and AMG models – but as we reported recently, S Class sales are in steep decline. That may change when the new S Class arrives in 2013, but with more and more credible smaller offerings it’s going to become harder and harder for companies like Mercedes to continue to sell the real volume at the top end.

Which is why, even though they are promising no real job reductions and the new A Class is flying, Mercedes are seeking cuts of €2 billion a year in operating costs.

New Mercedes A Class Photos >>