Just when we were preparing to write the A-Class obituary, Mercedes-Benz tore it up and tossed it in the recycling bin. Thanks to stubbornly strong European demand, the brand’s smallest—and most affordable—car isn’t going anywhere. At least not yet.
Despite earlier plans to end production by the close of last year, the fourth-generation A-Class (W177) has earned itself a stay of execution through 2028. That means Mercedes will continue to field an entry in the premium compact segment, a category many luxury brands have quietly stepped away from while chasing higher margins upmarket.
Originally built in Germany at Mercedes’ Rastatt plant alongside the CLA, GLA, EQA, and B-Class, A-Class production is now shifting east. Starting in the second quarter, the compact hatch will roll off the line in Kecskemét, Hungary—a factory that’s become a quiet workhorse in Mercedes’ global manufacturing network. Opened in 2012 and employing roughly 4,500 workers, the Kecskemét facility already assembles the CLA Coupé, CLA Shooting Brake, and the electric EQB, among others.
The reasoning behind the reversal is refreshingly straightforward: people are still buying the thing. Launched in 2018 and refreshed in 2022, the current A-Class continues to resonate with European buyers who want a premium badge without committing to a midsize sedan—or a second mortgage. In Germany, prices start at around €38,000, which still counts as “entry-level” in Mercedes terms, even if that phrase feels increasingly theoretical.
As for what comes next, Stuttgart is keeping its cards close. There’s no official word on a direct successor, even though the current A-Class lineup includes both hatchback and three-box sedan variants. Still, Mercedes sales boss Mathias Geisen recently assured German media that customers shopping for more affordable Mercedes models won’t be left stranded.
Translation: the A-Class may be living on borrowed time, but Mercedes isn’t quite ready to abandon the gateway drug that brings new buyers into the three-pointed-star ecosystem. In an era where luxury brands seem eager to forget how they built their audiences in the first place, keeping the A-Class alive feels almost… rebellious.
Source: Mercedes-Benz