Abstract:

Mercedes-Benz launched its first mini-car the A-class in the fall of 1997. Mercedes engaged in number of research efforts prior to the introduction of the A-class. The analysis performed in Norway revealed five major segments. All five segments had direct parallels to five of the eight segments found in a similar study of the German market. This finding was unexpected as the Norwegian market is much smaller and less congested than the German. Despite these differences the segments and brand preferences appear to be nearly the same across the two markets.