2013 Mercedes-Benz B-Class
The B has been a smash hit in Canada, giving Mercedes a station wagon/van priced to start at less than $30,000. Call it the Three Pointed Star for budget buyers.
With the remake of the B, Canadians are going to get a more stylish and elegant version of the outgoing model – thanks the Americans. Mercedes USA is adding the B-Class to its lineup, which means Canadians will benefit from a broader compact car lineup.
The new B-Class goes on sale in Europe in November but most likely will not arrive in North America until 2013. It looks sportier than the current car, sitting lower to the ground.
Mercedes is reported to be planning a total of five compact models, though it’s not clear if all five will would come to North America. It seems clear, however, that Canadians would be interested in not only the new B, but a new A-Class, due in Europe next year, along with the new smaller SUV and the coupe.
Jaguar C-X16
Jaguar types say the C-X16 sports car is the “spiritual successor” to the E-Type coupes of 1961-75. “We all loved the E-Type Jaguars, but with today’s safety regulations you can’t build something that looks like an E-Type any more,” designer Ian Callum told me before the Frankfurt show. “You couldn’t get the extremity of form that that car actually had.”
The next closest thing might be the C-X16 which is a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle. Basic power comes from a 3.0-litre supercharged V-6 (375-horsepower). 0-100 km: about four seconds. The hybrid part a push-to-pass feature designed to deliver a boost at highway speeds.
Jaguar isn’t saying whether this will become a production car, but Jag would be nuts not to put this in showrooms.
Land Rover DC100 and DC100 Sport concepts
There is a new Land Rover Defender coming and these two suggest a lean and aggressive replacement for the hoary old Defender now in production.
Land Rover surely must understand that a new Defender must be sale-able in North America and these concepts suggest that realization has sunk into the brain trust running the company. Officials say they have not decided whether to sell the new Defender in North America, however.
Power here comes from a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Land Rover naturally will have a diesel option and likely a hybrid, too.
Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern has warned that these concepts are only the start of “a journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century.”
Ford Focus ST hatchback
This hatchback, billed as the company’s first global performance car, is coming to Canada next year, powered by a 2.0-litre EcoBoost gas engine mated to a six-speed manual: 247 horsepower and 265 pounds-feet of torque.
Ford also confirmed production of a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, EcoBoost engine said to produce power and fuel economy equivalent to Ford’s current 1.6-litre normally aspirated gasoline engines. Which vehicles will get the little engine is unclear. It seems likely to end up in at least the Fiesta subcompact, however.
