S-class coupé and cabriolet to be discontinued?

[Delayed Steve]

The Bentley may have VAG underpinnings, but how many do you see? The people who buy Bentley's ect want to stand out of the crowd not be part of it, That's what they're paying for.!
It started when some politician came up with the term Mondeo man, so Mondeo man started asking his boss for a 3 series to look more successful, then after a few years the 3 series became common so he goes to Audi now the same has happened again and the c class is the flavor of the day.
The result ,the brand is devalued. Top Gear did a thing with a Aston Martin and a MB and the last thing they said was the thing holding the MB back was the badge !

 

[JBD]

Creating a separate brand is probably not a bad idea. In fact it's what AMG should have been. IMO it was a mistake rolling AMG into every production car in the line up. MB took something quite special stripped it down to a logo and plastered it on every car in the range.



MB tried luxury with Maybach, it was a flop.



As you've pointed out VW group have Bentley at the luxury end, Lambourghini for supercars, Audi competes with MB's entire mainstream product range, AMG's included.



So this leaves Bentley's for luxury, Lambo's for supercars, Bugatti for hypercars, Porsche for roll neck wearing retired architects who like to speculate on limited edition runs and skoda for tree huggers.



The 65 AMG series is MB's top of the line luxobarge and they weigh in at £175-£200K list. How many do they actually sell? I mean really sell when you remove the pre registration demo cars. Then compare this to how many Aston Martins or Bentley's sell in the same price bracket in the same time period.



At this end of the market it's all about image.



Bentley Flying Spur or Mercedes S65L AMG? Which has more curbside appeal to the man with £200k burning a hole in his pocket?



The Mercedes-Benz 600 (Grosser) was the best car in the world when it was built in the 60's and onwards, by a country mile. There was nothing like it. Which MB carries that mantle now?

I'm not convinced that Audi does compete with the entire product range. I don't think they have the brand to do so. That's why their mix of different brands does work. Personally, I think that we will see more and more exclusively AMG models coming out, which will really show you the versatility of the overall MB brand. And I think we will then see cars that really compete, unlike the 65's now. The demand I'm seeing for these new AMG built cars is unprecedented

We don't have the luxury of using a different brand for each market segment, as VAG do, so the only option is to expand the MB name in every direction. I don't see that as a bad thing, it makes business sense. You may think it waters down the brand, but I very much doubt an SL driver feels annoyed when they see lots of A Class'


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[Red C220]

I'm not convinced that Audi does compete with the entire product range. I don't think they have the brand to do so. That's why their mix of different brands does work. Personally, I think that we will see more and more exclusively AMG models coming out, which will really show you the versatility of the overall MB brand. And I think we will then see cars that really compete, unlike the 65's now. The demand I'm seeing for these new AMG built cars is unprecedented

We don't have the luxury of using a different brand for each market segment, as VAG do, so the only option is to expand the MB name in every direction. I don't see that as a bad thing, it makes business sense. You may think it waters down the brand, but I very much doubt an SL driver feels annoyed when they see lots of A Class'


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I think the opposite, in fact MB have felt it necessary to copy Audi by introducing an "AMG light" product range to compete with Audi's "S" range.

The R8 was and is a world class daily super car. The RS2/RS6 defined the term superwagon. But along the way each level of car has a distinctive step on the Audi Brand. SE, S-Line, S & RS.

Sure pre 1990's AMG built bespoke supercars custom made from production cars for enormous sums of money, these were genuinely exclusive.

I currently drive a Diesel E Class and an SL, both festooned with AMG parts, logos, wheels and bodykits. Yet neither are AMG's. The issue you have is unless you're a petrolhead pretty much every MB on the road could be an AMG. Where's the exclusivity gone? That's the problem.

The last real exclusive AMG was the SLS. Is the AMG GT Exclusive? I'm not so sure it is, time will tell on that.

 

[JBD]

I think you're putting much more emphasis on the AMG look than the performance. When I drive our AMG model range, I don't think I've ever felt worried that someone thinks I'm in a standard car. That's simply down to a lack of knowledge on their part.

The 43 range fills a huge chasm in the range where Mercedes weren't at all competitive. There's no way a brand like Mercedes could have continued to miss out on that part of the market, it's a market that introduces people to the performance brand. We're seeing plenty of people move up from 43 to AMG already, so it's clearly working. Like it or not, it makes business sense


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[C240Sport97]

if you spec the exclusive nappa leather on the S class cabriolet and coupe (unfortunately not available on SL400 and SL500), the interior is a class act. not as special as a Bentley, but S class coupe and cabriolet are not in the same price bracket.

In the Mercedes/BMW/Audi world, there is nothing that even comes close to the S class coupe and cabriolet.

 

[Red C220]

if you spec the exclusive nappa leather on the S class cabriolet and coupe (unfortunately not available on SL400 and SL500), the interior is a class act. not as special as a Bentley, but S class coupe and cabriolet are not in the same price bracket.

In the Mercedes/BMW/Audi world, there is nothing that even comes close to the S class coupe and cabriolet.

The S63 Cabriolet lists at £140K before options. With premium pack and other "essential" options it's at £160k - bang on Bentley V8 GTC money.

The S65 pretty much arrives at the same price as the W12 GTC.

The only model that slips under the premium manufacturers is the S500.

That's the problem, in isolation the S coupe/Cabriolet is an awesome car right up until the point you consider you can buy an Aston or Bentley for the same money, which won't then be covered in orange peel finished paint and give you an infinite choice of exterior and interior combinations.

VAG top out with the Audi A8L - then hand the baton over to their premium brand - Bentley.
BMW top out with the 7 series - then hand over to their premium brand - Rolls Royce.
Mercedes have Maybach and that didn't exactly set the world on fire.

 

[JBD]

The S63 Cabriolet lists at £140K before options. With premium pack and other "essential" options it's at £160k - bang on Bentley V8 GTC money.

The S65 pretty much arrives at the same price as the W12 GTC.

The only model that slips under the premium manufacturers is the S500.

That's the problem, in isolation the S coupe/Cabriolet is an awesome car right up until the point you consider you can buy an Aston or Bentley for the same money, which won't then be covered in orange peel finished paint and give you an infinite choice of exterior and interior combinations.

VAG top out with the Audi A8L - then hand the baton over to their premium brand - Bentley.
BMW top out with the 7 series - then hand over to their premium brand - Rolls Royce.
Mercedes have Maybach and that didn't exactly set the world on fire.

But the S Coupe is widely reviewed as class leading, so why should it undercut so much.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I do love the S-Class coupe (and big Mercedes in general) but with the proliferation of cheap lease deals and the like it has definitely devalued the brand, regardless of how much metal they're shifting.

I'm not having a go at that tactic, Maserati have taken a similar route with the introduction of diesels and a 4x4 and are now making something like a profit, but what that undoubtedly does is take the shine off the halo products, and I think Mercedes now have a ceiling price of £100k, above that and you're into proper prestige cars.

 

[ianrandom]

I think a full spec cabrio S coupe is a match for a Bentley, pretty much. Not a Phantom though.
I was interested and disappointed in hearing how many problems Bentley and Astons have. Having said that, plenty of problems with the S I'm sure.

It is a shame about the AMG name isn't it.