When it comes to hot hatches, Mercedes-Benz took its sweet time getting stuck into the thick of the action. While its main German rivals, namely Audi and BMW, started consistently offering premium hot hatches in the late 1990s and early 2000s, respectively, with their S3 and 135i models, it took Merc until 2013 to finally start mass-producing them. The brand, which has tended to focus on offering luxury vehicles throughout its history, preferred to stick with sedans, SUVs, and coupes during the 2000s, until the draw of the hot hatch market finally became too strong.
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