Spied: 2013 Mercedes B-class
A new and improved people mover

Our Teamspeed spies have snapped the latest shots of the all-new Mercedes B-class, expected to hit showrooms in autumn 2011. The next B-class will be built on a new front-wheel drive platform, dubbed the MFA, and will be made of a conventional unibody frame, making its production less expensive than the current model's sandwich structure engineering.

For the MFA platform, Mercedes-Benz will source its front-drive power plants from Renault. The platform will also spawn the next A-class, as well as other derivatives including a compact SUV and a small sedan model. As for the next B-class itself, it will feature a series of power plants supplied by Renault as well as in-house engines for the upper range output offerings. Those smaller plants will come to include 1.2-litre, 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre turbocharged engines as well as a 1.6-litre diesel, also supplied by Renault. Mercedes-Benz will use its own 2.2-litre diesel for the top diesel variant.

Mercedes will start sales of the next-generation B-class by focusing on larger power outputs and then later introduce the smaller engines as well as a plug-in hybrid (E-Cell Plus), an all-electric (E-Cell) and a fuel cell (F-Cell) variant.

A 6-speed manual and 6-speed dual-clutch will be the gearboxes available on the next B class, with stop/start technology on both, as Mercedes-Benz is dropping the CVT. New will also be more cabin room due to a lower floor and LED head- and taillights.

 

I've driven both the A & B Class…solid. Does a Soccer mom of one really need a full sized SUV?

 

Some new images from this morning...

 

I found on autocar.co.uk pic of the B-class uncovered