How The Baby Benz Inadvertently Surprised Luxury Chauffeurs

0 Comments | 20 Mar 2024

If there is one brand that many luxury chauffeurs choose over all others, it is likely to be Mercedes-Benz, with a combination of engineering excellence, technological pioneering and a commitment to luxury that is not matched by its contemporaries.

Of course, whilst the priority for chauffeurs is the top end of the market, with S-Class saloons the flagship of the fleet, one of the company’s entry-level models somewhat inadvertently highlighted what makes the company different.

In the 1990s, Mercedes-Benz decided to make a hatchback to serve as an entry-level Mercedes-Benz, similar to the BMW 1-Series or the VW Golf.

This “baby Benz” would become the first generation A-Class. The W168 was already unusual because it was shorter and yet taller than the typical supermini of the period, as well as being an 

exceptionally unusual choice for a brand that had always focused on luxury.

However, just as quickly as it was released, there was a massive problem. The short wheelbase and height of the car made it surprisingly unstable.

It suffered the ignominy of failing the “elk test” performed by a Swedish motoring magazine, rolling over in the process. However, from this failure came a glimpse of what the company was capable of in a crisis.

Rather than completely ignore it, the company recalled all 2,600 cars that had been sold up to that point, suspended sales for three months and spent 300m Deutschmarks to fix it.

The solution was to modify the suspension and add electronic stability control as standard, which fixed the problem and made the A-Class a million-selling machine, even if Mercedes lost over £1000 for every single car they sold.

Whilst it is far from the most beloved model featuring the famous badge, the A-Class showed a commitment to engineering even in their lowest-priced models that it solidified and enhanced the rest of the range, right up to the S-Class at the top.