There's been speculation for some time now as to whether or not Mercedes will opt to bring their compact A-Class and B-Class models to the United States, after initial plans to do so were abandoned back in 2005.  Now, amid rising fuel costs and the increasing popularity of fuel efficient, smaller models, the topic continues to be a point of debate in countless automotive and financial articles - enough so that Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche during a conference call last week commented on the matter.  According to Zetsche, the company is likely to bring the compact models to the U.S., but not until the new-generation versions of each are released (which should be in 2011).

The news comes after previous reports that state the A-Class and B-Class as we currently know them will soon cease to exist.  In their next-generation, the models' sandwich construction is expected to be abandoned for a more conventional arrangement - one that allows for a greater range of models, including a three-door coupe, a cabrio, a 4x4 and a MPV.

So what does this mean for you?  It means that Mercedes is currently working on an entirely new compact model lineup that will debut sometime around 2011, but until then, you're out of luck.  Neither model as you know it will be coming to the states.  Instead, you're better off praying that a more economical four-cylinder C-Class will make its way to America and subsequently reveling in the superiority your C-Class holds over its A-Class and B-Class siblings.

To read more of Zetsche's comments from his conference call last week, you can the full details over at AutoWeek.