Mercedes A-Class...Audi referenced

[Paul_Royal@idx.com]

Wednesday November 12 2:09 PM EST

Mercedes-Benz Apologizes for A-Class Problem

FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz, for decades an icon of
quality automobiles, took the unusual step
Wednesday of publicly apologizing for a safety defect in its new A-Class
small car that made it unstable.

Mercedes, which announced Tuesday it was suspending deliveries of the
four-seat A-Class for three months while it made
safety modifications, took out a full-page advertisement in several German
newspapers Wednesday to explain the move.

"We want to end the discussion of the safety of the A-Class. For good,"
read the headline in the advertisement.

"Nobody regrets more than us that we have shown a weakness in the A-Class
and that our tests have come under discussion,
" the advertisement added. "Please give us this time and have some
patience."

The advertisement, a high-stakes bid to confront a tidal wave of bad
publicity surrounding the car, won praise from advertising
executives.

The advertisements were the latest in a string of attempts at damage
control by Mercedes and its parent, Daimler-Benz AG, after
a Swedish car magazine flipped one of the cars in safety tests last month.

Unlike other automakers, such as Suzuki Motor Corp. and Audi AG, a unit of
Volkswagen AG, which in the past dealt with safety
questions in a less public way, Daimler has tackled the A-Class problem
head-on.

Although the strategy risks drawing attention to the safety defect, German
advertising executives praised the move.

"I can hardly think of another company that has faced a crisis as well as
Daimler-Benz in this case," said Bernd Michael,
managing director of the Grey advertising agency in Duesseldorf. "It seems
to be a strategy of clear-as-glass marketing."