I think they totally blew it when they introduced the "C" (cheap) class. They coupled this car with a bargain basement leasing program that allowed just about any warm body with an income that walked in the door to drive out with a car.
Not that there should be exclusivity with MBs, but I think they really diluted the marque by doing this, and in some respects dragged it down to a level of being no better than a Ford Taurus. In fact, if you ask me, the original C class models looked no different than most of the "jellybeans" that were on the market at the time. I think other brands have done a much better job of marketing and elevating or maintaining the cachet of their brand (Lexus, Acura, etc.) than MB has in the past 5-10 years, IMHO. Dan --- On Sun, 1/16/11, E M <pokieba...@gmail.com> wrote: > From: E M <pokieba...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Diesel S Class making a comeback. > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011, 11:23 AM > While Mercedes is still a premium > brand, I think they've worked hard to > water down their image over the years. It's hard to > label yourself as being > an exclusively luxury brand, when you have B Class models > sitting next to S > Class models on the showroom floor. 25 years ago, > even with what is now > considered a basic D240, there was a unique "quality" to > the car, and it was > felt while cheaper, and an entry level car, the same > quality and engineering > went into it, as their more expensive offerings. > Today, it would be pretty > hard to convince anyone, that when you buy a B Class, > you're getting S Class > engineering and quality, in a smaller package. It is > what it is, and that's > an alternative to a small Ford or Toyota. > > Options make money, car volume, to a much lesser > extent. More profitable to > load up every model with satnav and other toys, than to > sell twice as many > car, in basic form. > > Ed > 300E > > On 16 January 2011 10:20, Dieselhead <126die...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > That may work in Canada, but in the US, the sales > chimps just look at you > > like you have 8 eyes, one ear, 7 arms and 3 > legs. They can't throw you out > > fast enough. > > > > The answer to the prior question about why we can't > get a simple > > bulletproof car in the US/NA marketis simple. It > is because the marketing > > geniuses at MumBUSA anve dictated that MB shall be > "positioned" as a > > "luxury" brand. Whatever they define > as a "luxury"... > > > > MB still makes utilitarian cars for the rest of the > world, but anything > > that relies on electronics, I can't label as > bulletproof or reliable. In > > the 30s they made the SS and the SSK for kings and the > 170 for commoners. > > In the 50s they made the adenauer for kings and > princes, and the 170 for > > commoners. In the 60s they made the 600 for > kings and popes, and the 190 > > for commoners. today they make the Maybach for > kings and oil princes, the > > S600 for movie stars, and the A170D for commoners. > > > > The problems are the US EPA and the Imperial dictators > at Mumbusa. > > Somewhere around 1970, the "marketing" MBAs gained > control at MBNA and > > dictated that MB shall be a "luxury" brand. > Unfortuntately for them, the > > austerity of the first and second "fuel crisis" > prevented them from doing > > away with the 240D until 1985. > > > > The US EPA, since the 1985 announcement by mother GM > the "Diesels are > > terrible (because we are too cheap to build a decent > diesel engine)" has > > been pressured by GM, and perhaps frod and crypsler to > keep changing the > > "emissions" dictates so that Diesels can't meet the > reg. > > > > VW and MB have outwitted the EPA dimwits so many times > now, that the EPA is > > less aggressive in trying to keep Diesels out. > > > > When DB bought crypsler, I had hopes that those > products might become the > > "commoner" MB line for NA/USA, because they were not > MB. It looked like > > that was happening, as the crypsler engineering > started looking more and > > more like MB engineering. If the nasty divorce > had not happened, we were > > supposed to get a wide array of crypsler models with > MB Diesels. > > > > Bottom line is Mumbusa has no interest in what the > public wants outside of > > NYC and beverly hills/brentwood. > > > > > > x > > > > > > > > > > I think the best way to ensure future models, is > to buy, or ask for those > >> cars today at the dealer. Go in and say to > the manager, "this is what I > >> want, and if you offered one, I'd buy it". > >> > >> Ed > >> 300E > >> > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
