New Mercedes B-Class at European dealers in November

Sep 28, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Stuttgart - The second generation Mercedes B-Class compact sports tourer arrives at European dealers in November with the car maker announcing that the new model will be sold at the same price as the predecessor vehicle.

Prices start at just over 26,000 euros (35,620 dollars) for the B 180 BlueEfficiency with the B 200 CDI BE, which Mercedes claims has a 21 per cent lower fuel consumption than the old model, is selling for 29,800 euros (40,826 dollars).

Among the new standard features is a radar-based Collision Prevention Assist to help reduce the danger of a rear-end collision, a drowsiness warning system and LED daytime running lights. Fuel consumption for the diesel B 180 CDI and B 200 CDI is listed at 4.4 litres per 100 kilometres which translates to a carbon dioxide emission figure of between 114 and 115 grammes per kilometre.

One of the options is a 7G-DCT seven-gear dual clutch transmission. An electric oil pump provides the transmission with start/stop capability. It shifts gear without any interruptions in tractive power and combines the comfort of an automatic with the efficiency of a manual transmission.

Since the launch of the first generation B-Class in 2005 some 700,000 units have been sold worldwide, according to Mercedes. After Germany, the second largest market is China where sales for the model have risen by 46.8 per cent to 9,738 units since January.