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.

Mercedes-Benz has announced three new models will make their public debut at the Paris motor show next month – the recently-revealed AMG A35 and GLE, along with the all-new B-Class. It's the first time the marque has officially confirmed the latter's reveal, with the new model claimed to put "the emphasis on the sports part of Sports Tourer".

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.

Mercedes-Benz Australia has announced a small-volume recall on its small A-Class and B-Class hatches over concerns that the airbags may not deploy correctly in a collision. The fault centres on the interior fuse box, where Mercedes-Benz believes that fuses inside may become loose over time. This can cause various systems to fail, but most crucial among the potentially affected systems, Mercedes-Benz says, is the airbag deployment function.