BMW, Mercedes, Audi weigh tiniest models for U.S.

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BMW, Mercedes, Audi weigh tiniest models for U.S.

08:31 AM

CAPTIONBy Virginia Mayo, AP

Germany's famous luxury automakers are thinking the unthinkable -- bringing their smallest cars to the U.S.

Audi, for instance, is weighing whether to bring its next-generation A1 compact car to America. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are also taking a close look at the market.

German automakers have always hesitated in the past out of fear that their smallest cars would dilute their image as makers of the wor'd finest cars. But the Obama's new fuel economy standards have them over a barrel. They need smaller cars to offset the bigger, less fuel-effienct ones they plan to sell.

"Consumers are asking for small cars, and there is the likelihood that the second generation of the A1 will come to the U.S.," Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi AG's board member for sales and marketing, told Automotive News at the Paris auto show.

A final decision won't be made about the Audi A1 for 18 months, Schwarzenbauer said, addig that likelihood is "quite high" that Audi would import the car.

Meanwhile, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are playing the same game, weighing the same decision.

BMW is thinking about importing small front-wheel-drive vehicles. will bring a new front-wheel-drive family of cars in a class known as UKL, a German abbreviation for lower-compact-class cars.

"It will be a relatively big segment because we have several body styles," Ian Robertson, BMW AG board member for sales and marketing, told Automotive News last week at the Paris auto show.

European media reports say BMW is planning at least three variants.

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