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Mercedes-Benz: Future Models

441 messages, Last post on Sep 15, 2007 at 9:01 PM
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Sales were down 1.8 percent for May 2005 compared to May 2004. It seems that every Mercedes that isn't new is dropping and the brand new ones continue to post big gains. Details Here The CLS it seems continues to eat into the E-Class' sales. The SLK and M-Class were up 119.4% and 66.2% respectively compared to May 2004. The CLS sold 1550 units while the E-Class sold 3569 units (down 29.1% vs May 2004). If you add the CLS 1550 to the E-Class' 3569 you get 5119 which would have been a slight increase over last year. Very interesting. I'd say the E-Class is going to have a very, very tough road until that facelift and new V8 arrives for 2007. Inexplicably the G-Class also increased 32.3% compared to May 2004. M-Class buyer rub-off maybe? Though still we're only talking about 127 units. The CLK is about even with last year and I look for it to get a boost from the new "350" model and facelift. I look for the C-Class to pick up somewhat once the new V6s are out. The dealer closest to me still has a lot of 2005 C's left though so that might be another month. Of course the S-Class is on the down stroke, though I think it will spike before the year is out. The lesson here is that the SLK, CLS and M can't pull the brand alone. MB needs some gains in one of their sedan lines, unlikely to happen until the next S or facelifted E, both of which aren't due for a quite a while. The C-Class' new engines might do something, but minus the hatchback models the C-Class too will be challenged to attain the sales heights of last year. Now the R-Class is the wildcard. Other boards are saying that it will be out in Sept. We'll see. Since 2006 is the last year of the current S-Class I'm surprised that there hasn't been some type of "special edition" model yet. M |
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I was also reviewing the sales results. I see year to date sales are down by 6.2%. Better build quality seems to be in place now and that may help sales. Sedans are indeed the key to volume. I am unsure about the next S-class: the 'spyshots' I am seeing show a lot of Maybach styling cues. I don't see how this will boost S-class sales. It will also reinforce the perception that Maybach is a 'big Benz' and not the exclusive marque it should be. I think the E-class could do well in 2007. The E-class needs clear differentiation from the C-class in the next generation. Things can change - my US team is doing well this month. Cadillac's May car sales are up 50.9% over May 04 and 17.8% year to date. XLR sales were >50% of SL sales for the first time in April and repeated this in May (420 XLRs and 821 SLs). I don't know if XLR sales will continue growing but there will big smiles at Cadillac HQ today.
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Replying to: scott1256 (Jun 02, 2005 8:01 am) I agree about Maybach. I think they need to come up with a look and design that is totally different, yet distinctively German. M |
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I agree with you, merc1 - but I can't really visualize what the Maybach should look like! It is not very distinctive now. Do you have any ideas? The new S-class with its styling similarities will dilute the Maybach image. I really like like the appearance (if the spyshots are close) of the upcoming S sedans. I see it as a real improvement and believe it will boost sales. Are the rest of you of the same mind? I feel quite positive about Mercedes products and the company's prospects. It will take time to end the carping of the press but I think Benz is now wide awake and working hard. At Cadillac: the CTS, STS and XLR lead the sales increases. Deville is up for May but down for the year. I had a few more comments on the 'Cadillac is cool' discussion in News and Views if you are interested - I don't want to hijack this board. |
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| C is the high volume world leader for MB, and these new engines should help. Since they have been around for a couple months in other countries, anyone know how the new engines have done in those places? Are sales up? | |
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Yeah the second half had better be better than the first if MBUSA is going to top last year's record. I'm waiting to see what the R-Class is going to do. It seems like Maybach is in the tank for the year only selling like 68 cars in the first quarter! M |
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See here M |
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is potentially a volume leader. It is coming out of the gate really strong. The M-class could may a lot to Mercedes sales on its own over the last half of the year. It is not enough on its own but it may be a good sign of how the upcoming new models will do. |
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in today's Wall St. Journal (Friday, June10, 2005). Quite a positive article: 'a real improvement on the original version'. Excellent handling/cornering. MPG averaged 16.5 which was thought to be a bit low. The author avoids the snide "Mercedes quality is terrible nowadays" remarks some reviewers now put in every Mercedes evaluation. |
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The SLK280 has arrived, see here. Starts at $43,675. Nicely done for about 50K. M |
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