Although no body seem to like the Mercedes B Class, the car has achieve a rather significant sales success as the more than 700,000 units of it have been delivered worldwide.

Granted, it’s been aorund for six years. But still, that’s a good record for a mini MPV, especially as it is a rather pricey one, and not particularly the best in the segment. The success of the current B Class will create a good base for the new 2012 B-Class which will celebrate its world premiere at the IAA in September. That car has a refreshed design with greater practicality and quality.

The most important market for the B-Class is Germany, which accounts for about one third of the series’ sales worldwide, followed by China and Italy. In 2009, the B-Class was introduced to China, where it has met with great success, with sales rising by 140.3% last year, to 12,217 units. Sales have continued to be very dynamic this year as well, rising to 5,966 units.

“We want to further increase our market share in this segment through the launch of the successors to the current A-Class and B-Class as well as of two other sporty and emotional variants,” adds Dr. Schmidt. “We also want to tap new customer groups and additional markets. In the process, we will demonstrate that premium status is not a matter of external dimensions; it is primarily a question of perceived value, quality, and style. We will also be setting new benchmarks in the premium compact segment when it comes to safety. The new B-Class, for example, will be fitted with an emergency braking assistant as standard.”