Has the current model ranges devalued the brand

[The Boss]

ok here is another moan.. well not actually, but just to assess if Mercedes has marketed the brand in a sound way or not..

example. E class S211..

Now when this model range came out you had a choice of classic, elegance and Avantgarde.

All ranges had their own design elements, whether you wanted a little more luxury or a little more sporty flair..

but all models could have the option of the AMG body kit as a premium option..

Now.. the model range seems to have a sport, which throws in the AMG body kit...

now, where one saw the S211 AMG kit as a rare premium, some how positive value to the the depreciation of the car, the new e class S212 has the spoorts model which has just thrown this otherwise exclusive upgrade to the masses, and thus the appeal of something exlcusively looking is now limited to the AMG models only, even though, not everyone is comfortable with the power of an AMG.. I know personally that when my father visits in the UK, he would want a slower (even diesel powered) car for day to day ease of driving with out overly powered AMG grunt, but also something that looked a little special...

what has Mercedes doneee.. i think its just lost class! oh well.. id still own one.. but the sad thing is.. I dont know why!!

 

[Chattonmill]

Simply answer is NO!

 

[bpsorrel]

That's a good question and I see where you're coming from. I think the main reason MB have done this is to make the models more appealing to the masses, to gain more sales - simple as that. Has it eroded some of the "specialness" of the brand? Of course! The more a manufacturer goes down the "mass" route, the more diluted it becomes. BUT, the crux here is survival and in these tough economic times for the motor industry, MB (and most others!) have to do what they can to make their cars as attractive to the average car buyer as possible. Still excellent cars though!

 

[Howard]

Perhaps they should just have carried on making the W124 ?

As we all know ( because you are forever telling us ) every car ever made since then is crap !

 

[wemorgan]

Whether with or without an AMG body kit an E-class is not the last work in exclusive motoring, but a premium product pitched at a certain quality/price band.

Exclusive brand values are only held by companies like Bristol. But few can afford one. Exactly. So today's mass market customers need to align brand value expectations with the size of their bank balance.

edit: Jaguar seem to be playing a similar game to MB
Jaguar XF Dynamics Pack - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk

 

[The Boss]

Perhaps they should just have carried on making the W124 ?

As we all know ( because you are forever telling us ) every car ever made since then is crap !

not at all..

the w124 had its time.

and with your CLKs, nothing is wrong with the car, as they are very good cars, i just dont feel they did the w124 justice as its replacement, but as a funner more youthful model, they worked well if you forget its predecessor.

in terms of what i think mercedes should have done..

they should have introduced the clk as a coupe of the c class range, the cl is the s class coupe, thus they left a void in the market for a w124 successor, which today appears to be the new e class, but to add a car of similar integral quality.

i agree, mercedes should move forward and should develop always, but how for example, i found the CLS a breath of fresh air, perhaps, mercedes should have pitched a car designed with simiplicity in mind.

today every phone (for example) does everything apart from making it easy to call some one.. i fear one day, cars will have so much going on, that we loose the fact that cars have heritage and quality will become a lost word.. that our children will get used to cars becoming consumables only opposed to how i see it, as a part of my family!

dunno.. im mad sometimes.. but just how i feel

 

[Bellow]

Yep, there's an ongoing recession and Jaguar has the Germans on the run!

 

[renault12ts]

Are you talking exclusively about the estate (S211) or the 211 E class in general.

 

[Bellow]

Did Mercedes ever envisage a day where they would have to sell to those who can't punctuate?

That's where it went...

 

[renault12ts]

Good point. Come on TB, that's a poorly written piece. Where's the great heritage of the English language?

 

[Lugy]

not at all..

the w124 had its time.

and with your CLKs, nothing is wrong with the car, as they are very good cars, i just dont feel they did the w124 justice as its replacement, but as a funner more youthful model, they worked well if you forget its predecessor.

in terms of what i think mercedes should have done..

they should have introduced the clk as a coupe of the c class range, the cl is the s class coupe, thus they left a void in the market for a w124 successor, which today appears to be the new e class, but to add a car of similar integral quality.

i agree, mercedes should move forward and should develop always, but how for example, i found the CLS a breath of fresh air, perhaps, mercedes should have pitched a car designed with simiplicity in mind.

today every phone (for example) does everything apart from making it easy to call some one.. i fear one day, cars will have so much going on, that we loose the fact that cars have heritage and quality will become a lost word.. that our children will get used to cars becoming consumables only opposed to how i see it, as a part of my family!

dunno.. im mad sometimes.. but just how i feel

I think it's safe to say we're already there, in my family we've always had and ran car's for a long time, for example my parents bought a 3 year old Rover 214Si back in about 1996ish, it was an ex company car with company car miles, we ran that car for around 5 years and it never missed a beat even up to 180,000 miles! It was sold on to a family friend who ran it for another couple of years, looking up the DVLA site it was last taxed in 2005 so I can only assume it's gone to pastures new.

Car's nowadays are rubbish, merely objects with a 5 or 6 year life span, with all the complicated things they fit now even simple jobs could write off a car after a year or 2 out of warranty!

 

[SL300-24]

I have to say that having had 9 W124's (2 cabrios, 3 estates and 4 saloons) and 2 W211's the W211's are better built than the W124's.
Okay the metal may be thinner on the 211's, which is fine because of better rustproofing and the need to make the cars lighter, but the fit and finish is better, the cars drive much better, have more toys (if wanted) are quicker and more economical.
I think that the different trim levels have always been there, just not pigeon holed into Elegance, Avantgarde, Sport etc.... and this simply gives the purchaser more choice.....

 

[renault12ts]

Thanks for that. At last someone not just following the herd.

 

[MOCAŠ]

...

 

[The Boss]

Are you talking exclusively about the estate (S211) or the 211 E class in general.

in general

 

[MOCAŠ]

There are basically two business models for marketing cars: A) offer a single version of each model with a given drivetrain, and allow the customer to determine the final specification by selecting which options they require; or B) offer a range of off-the-shelf specifications (ie: trim levels) with a reduced range of options.

Traditionally (since the 1960s, at least), the specialist marques have followed model A while the mainstream ones have followed model B. So, in the sense that over the last 25 years or so MB has moved towards model B, one could conclude that its brand has been devalued.

However, the pre-defined trim levels are just a symptom of the company's overall strategy to become more mainstream, and there are many other indicators of this, not least the fact that the cars are produced in far higher volumes and are much more affordable in real terms these days. Having a range of pre-defined specs helps massively with making volume production viable.

I also seem to recall that one of the reasons for having the Classic, Avantgarde, Elegance, etc designations was to help bolster resale values, as it became easier to set a residual value for a particular model if it had a distinct list price to start with. It's often the case (with some exceptions) that the monetary value of options drops to virtually zero on the second hand market, such that they tend only to make one car easier to sell than another.

So yes, the brand has been devalued, but it is trying to compete in a tough marketplace, and can only do so by appealing to a broader range of customers, and being able to provide what they want at an affordable price. The other option would be to bail out of the race with BMW, Audi, etc, and re-position themselves as a specialist, low-volume manufacturer.

NB: apologies for the previous post - hit the 'return' key by mistake.

 

[martin_a]

I think the nail to be hit is in the post above... especially in reference to AMG kits. Look at the number of Audi cars with the s-line badge. Its a valuable option as people like the sporty touch to the cars so it is no surprise to see MB "keeping up with the neighbours"

m.

 

[ian11]

The Mercedes 'number/letters' is a design & marketing icon. We even got excited when they changed the font.

I'd suggest that most people go shopping for an E320 with thoughts of an E280. In both the showroom and used sale the spec sheet comes second.

I don't really like 'Avantgarde', 'Elegance'...I find it all a bit pretentious, but while the iconic model names remain in place, Mercs will remain a readily identifiable quantity on the road, the brand isn't devalued.

I saw an S65AMG a few months ago here with a £100k plate but rebadged as an S350....you need a fair amount of dough to play those games. It made my 350Z look like a Noddy Car from the lights.

 

[nullogik]

I don't really like 'Avantgarde', 'Elegance'...I find it all a bit pretentious,

I actually liked the Classic/Elegance/Avantgarde modelling system. It was easy to understand and fairly intuitive i.e. Elegance - traditional luxury feel, Avantgarde - modern, slightly edgey (like the 210 with blue tinted windows, lowered suspension for a sportier feel).

For pretentious, remember the Rover 75 and its "Connoisseur" model!

 

[wemorgan]

For pretentious, remember the Rover 75 and its "Connoisseur" model!

I'll trump you with the Metro 'Mayfair'