Mercedes-Benz B-Class

Mercedes-Benz Australia has announced pricing and specs for the new B-Class, which is now available exclusively in B180 Sports Tourer guise Down Under, starting at $46,400 before on-road costs. Power comes from a 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine making 100kW and 200Nm, put to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Claimed combined fuel consumption is 5.7L/100km on the combined cycle.

Thanks to rising development costs, greater market fragmentation, and the need to invest in both electric vehicles and self-driving car technology, automakers are increasingly coming together to share development costs and increase economies of scale. With that in mind, Harald Krüger, CEO of BMW, and Ola Källenius, CEO-in-waiting at Daimler, are said to be in wide-open collaboration talks between the sometimes bitter rivals.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class family – which includes the B-Class, CLA and GLA lines – will get a three-row option very soon, a company official has confirmed. Speaking with industry journal Automotive News Europe, Mercedes-Benz's global sales boss, Britta Seeger, hinted a seven-seat model is in the works for markets like China, though it's unclear what form it will take.

Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall for its A-Class, B-Class and CLA model lines sold between 2015 and 2017 over concerns a faulty starter could pose a fire risk. The German marque says affected vehicles could be fitted with a starter that may become blocked "due to prior damage", which may cause it to become electrically overloaded if multiple and/or extended start attempts are made. In the "worst case scenario", the fault could cause nearby components to ignite and catch fire.