Over the next four years Mercedes will go on a model offensive that will see it introduce ten completely new cars. These will not merely be updates of existing models but ground up new cars that the firm hopes will see it extend its reach into segments of the market in which it is currently not represented.

The first of these cars is expected to be the A-Class, which, bar the name, bears no relation to the car we currently see on the road. Designed to give Mercedes-Benz a competitor to the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, the new A-Class features a sportier design and we're promised a high class interior. The A-Class underpinnings will spawn two further models - the BLS four-door coupé (a junior version of the popular CLS with front-wheel drive) and an as yet unnamed compact SUV that will battle with the BMW X1 and recently launched Audi Q3.

Two new models are set to join the mid-size category, where the C-Class currently resides. A BMW 3 Series Convertible rival would fit right in, but as for the second variation only time will tell. One new model will be introduced alongside both the E- and M-Class while three additional cars will join the S-Class in the large-size segment. Considering the recent decision to kill off Maybach the new models could be seen as possible successors to the marque.

Paul Healy - 8 Dec 2011