British car magazine Autocar is reporting new details on the upcoming next-generation 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class.
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 liter, 1.4 liter and 1.8 liter turbocharged engines as well as a 1.6 liter diesel, also supplied by Renault. Mercedes-Benz will use its own 2.2 liter 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.
