On December 8, 1982, the German manufacturer expanded its range from below, releasing on the market Mercedes 190 (Type 201)three-body family sedan, which was distinguished by its compactness, which is why it was nicknamed “Baby-Benz”.

190 enjoyed a decade-long career, with more than 1.8 million copies was produced until August 1993, making it one of Mercedes’ most popular models and giving rise to its successor, the C-Class.

Mercedes 190: a unique model

At that time, Mercedes cars belonged more to the higher segment, and the appearance of more compact models was considered as early as 1974, after the oil crisis. The project began in October 1978, and in the future Mercedes 190 was going to place just below the largest Mercedes 123 in the range.

Despite his more compact sizes (4.42 meters long, 1.68 meters wide and 1.38 meters high) The Mercedes 190 was a concentrate of what the brand knew how to do best at the time, with road handling, driving comfort, reliability and durability that created his reputation. .

In the 1980s, A-class did not exist yet. But instead of it, another compact Mercedes 190 E City appeared! https://t.co/50GyrxNjgQ

— AutoPlus (@AutoPlusMag) July 20, 2022

Mercedes 190: ultra-modern production

Mercedes 190 was produced in Sindelfingen, and then in Breamat the plant, which at that time was considered a plant for the production of vehicles the most modern in the world : for example, the axles are installed automatically, which is a first in the history of the industry.

This factory received the largest investment of the time, amounting to 1.4 billion German marks, and then in September 1982, production began with white body components coming from the Sindelfingen plant. In 1984, the factory expanded thanks to the appearance of painting and assembly lines, which made it possible to produce complete cars there. nowadays, the Bremen plant is still operating and produces the latest generation Mercedes C-Class.

Mercedes 190: records and victories

During its career, the Mercedes 190 distinguished itself many times, for example, in 1983 at the Nardo test track in southern Italy, where the 190 E 2.3-16 proved itself no less than three entries driving long distances. In 1985, it was approved for sports car and was first used in the French Touring Car Championship and then in the German DTM Championship in 1986.

In 1988, Mercedes returned to motorsport, and from 1991 the development department for the competition 190 E 2.5-16 EVO II was entrusted to AMG. This EVO II won the first three places in the DTM championship in 1992 with Klaus Ludwig, Kurt Thiem and Bernd Schneider, putting Mercedes at the top of the constructors’ classification.

Combining luxury, sportiness, reliability and safety, the Mercedes C-Class is a versatile road car that will suit everyone and every use. In sedan or estate form, it’s available used for less than €20,000 https://t.co/0Cpu0HBXY0

— AutoPlus (@AutoPlusMag) December 10, 2021