The new compact premium A-Class will play an integral role in Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s (MBSA’s) aim to again lead the premium market in South Africa.

MBSA last year saw rival BMW take the crown from it in this hotly contested segment of the South African automotive market.

MBSA president and CEO Dr Martin Zimmermann says Mercedes-Benz wants to regain its position as overall leader in the market by 2015 or 2016 at the latest.

He ascribes the loss of the number one position to, among other factors, the run-out of the current model C-Class, as well as insufficient stock of B-Class and A-Class models during 2012.

However, the launch of the new A-Class is set to again give impetus to MBSA’s product portfolio, as will the introduction of the new C-Class and a new compact sports-utility vehicle (SUV) in 2014.

Zimmermann describes the premium segment in South Africa, where the contenders include Lexus, Audi and BMW, as “very competitive”, with vehicle manufacturers either securing customers from competitors or growing their market by broadening their appeal.

He says the local compact premium segment, with smaller, more affordable cars now boasting the same luxuries as its larger siblings, is set to emulate the global growth curve, expanding by 60%, from the 6.6-million units sold in 2011 to 10.6-million units by 2021.

He is confident the new sporty-looking A-Class will assist Mercedes-Benz in attracting a new, younger customer, with the vehicle “seen as a revolution for Mercedes-Benz”. He regards the A-Class as “a radical new approach to premium compact cars”, and “A as for Attack”.

Stock availability may, however, hamper this market attack in 2013, as Zimmermann says the local arm of the German manufacturer could only secure half of the stock it wants, and that these cars are already “basically sold”.

He adds that research has shown that people in the R300 000-a-year income bracket will start considering buying the A-Class.

Pricing for the A-Class starts at R273 800.

The new A-Class is part of a larger family, with the vehicle architecture also housing the new B-Class, the new CLA sports coupé and a “versatile compact SUV” – the same one coming to South Africa next year.

Zimmermann expects the new A-Class to possibly overtake the C-Class as Mercedes-Benz’s global volume leader in the next five years. However, the same trend is not expected in South Africa, where “strong volumes” of the locally made sedan are sold every month.

He also anticipates that MBSA will perform better this year than in 2012, when sales volumes were down on 2011 numbers.

The fact that the new A-Class is a much sportier hatchback than its predecessor is reflected in its stance. Compared with its predecessor, the centre of gravity is 40 mm lower and the seating position 178 mm lower. The height has been reduced by 160 mm.

The A-Class is a five-seater, with boot volume at 341 ℓ. If the rear seat backrests are folded down, its capacity jumps to 1 157 ℓ. In all models, the seats feature a 60:40 split and can be folded forward individually.

The base model features air conditioning, an audio system with USB ports, electric windows all round, and a 12-button multifunction steering wheel.

The vehicle comes in urban style and AMG sport style derivatives, and offers three design packages, namely night, exclusive and AMG exclusive, as well as a host of optional extras, allowing the vehicle to be customised to suit individual tastes.

All engines of the new A-Class feature the Eco start/stop function as standard, shutting down the engine when the vehicle is idle, thereby saving fuel.

The new range of engines found in the A-Class can be combined with the new six-speed manual transmission or, optionally, with the 7G-DCT dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Fuel consumption on the A-Class is down by up to 35% compared with the previous model.

The new 1.8 ℓ A-Class diesel engine develops 80 kW of power and delivers 260 Nm of torque and, with a manual transmission, consumes fuel at 3.8 ℓ/100 km, corresponding to the emission of 98 g of carbon dioxide (CO2) a kilometre.

The A 220 CDI develops 125 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque and, in combination with the 7G-DCT automatic dual clutch transmission, consumes 4.3 ℓ/100 km.

The new A 200 petrol model produces 115 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque, and consumes 5.4 ℓ/100 km, using the 7G-DCT transmission.

The A 250 Sport top model, also using the 7G-DCT transmission, produces 155 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque, and uses fuel at a rate of 6.1 ℓ/100 km, with CO2 emissions of 148 g/km.

The A-Class is also equipped, as standard, with a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive brake assist, a combination which lowers the risk of rear-end collisions.

The vehicle was awarded the top score of five stars for occupant safety in Euro NCAP testing.

In keeping with the aim to win over a new generation to Mercedes-Benz, the A-Class vehicle features iPhone integration.

The multimedia system, Comand Online, also provides Internet access through any Web-enabled mobile phone, plus a variety of Mercedes-Benz services. These include weather information and a special destination search via Google, as well as the option of downloading a route which has been previously configured on a computer using Google Maps and sent to the car.

There is also a news app which enables news on politics, finance and technology to be called up online in the vehicle. Information is displayed in such a way that it is clearly legible while on the move.