As the demand for cars falls and priorities shift in the corporate houses, 2022 begins with a blow for Mercedes lovers. The class A-Class Compact Sedan will be officially dropped in the U.S. for the 2022 model year. Mercedes Benz has officially confirmed that the A220 model will be pushed into the U.S. market after 2022.

Earlier, the brand had pulled out AMG 350 from the U.S. market. At present, the GLA-class crossover will be the cheapest Mercedes Benz available in the U.S. The entry-level A-class Benz price started at $35,000. The cheapest available Mercedes Benz card will be the GLA- Class Crossover, whose starting price is $37,450.

The primary reason behind dropping the models is the declining demand over the years. A35, which was dropped off earlier, witnessed 641 units sale in 2019 after introduction. But in 2021, only 8108 units were sold.

According to the Benz spokesperson, the Mercedes Benz CLA model will remain available for one more year. It is safe to assume that Benz is not making enough money from the A-class. Therefore, it is understandable why it is being dropped.

The news first came in as a memo and was yet to be confirmed by the company’s official representatives. The A-class has been a classic from the company and continues to be a favorite among many owners. It was the first vehicle that featured the MBUX or Mercedes Benz User Experience Multimedia System. Much later, the car was eventually morphed into a full-width, curved glass operating system. It also debuted on the all-electric EQS.

The A-class was also the first vehicle developed at the company’s Technology Centre for Vehicle Safety. The design was one of the safest in the time. It was done by taking data and research on real-world crashes.

According to the spokesperson, the decision to drop the A-class is consistent with the effort to streamline the product offering strategy of the brand. The current version of CLA will be around for the time being. It is because it is proving to be a more profitable venture. It is likely as it is also more expensive compared to the A-class. If you are looking to buy the A-class, you can get it at dealers throughout 2022, as Mercedes did not announce when its production stops officially.

In this segment, Mercedes faces heavy competition from rival brand BMW, who has lined up two entries- the two-door 2-series coupe and four-door 2-series Gran Coupe. They both ride on different platforms. Audi has one lineup in the same category- the A3 sedan.

The aim of introducing the Mercedes Benz A-class was to bring younger customers to the brand. However, the sedan version arrived in the U.S. from the German brand much later. By then, this body style had already gone out of fashion in the country. The brand has made affordable entry-level models available as a priority. Thus, even though the A-class lineup is scraped, the GLA lineup will be around offering similar pricing.