Mercedes Benz "new strategy"
- Thread starter JeffKeryk
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I wouldn't equate the two as remotely alike.
Lets take the names out and just look at the numbers.
equating sales of 7 to 1.6K with (lets use) 46K to 89K
Growth without volume/ revenue is significantly less meaningful (being kind - some would say its meaningless) than growth with volume/revenue.
When I was VP sales Id hear the same line from the the equivalent of the Venza guy - I grew 1000%!!! - yes you did from 1-1000 dollars.
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Responding to your points...
The lux dealers I spoke to explained they believed the Model Y was the biggest threat (far beyond segment dilution) to their SUV sales, which is their bread and butter these days. I believe Lexus sells more RX than all other models combined? Something like that. I am not sure anyone considers Teslas a steal. I don't.
Consumer Reports states customer satisfaction as their most important statistic and indicator of future sales. Tesla leases far fewer cars than most manufacturers, especially EVs. Sweetheart deals? No. Teslas are not discounted; you don't get to bargain. I understand there is a lower cost model in the works, perhaps to be priced at $25K. As far as today, there are only a handful of choices when you order a car.
The Prius analgy is bogus. Comparing 1 model to a car company is apples to oranges.
"Funny too that very few options have come up to contest the Prius"
Toyota now offers hybrid versions of almost all of their cars; I believe the new Venza is only hybrid? This is a direct result of (the ugly) Prius success.
If the analgy were correct, you are saying that Tesla will pretty much go away. I am not sure how anyone can predict 10 years from now.
I guess I don't understand the term nieche car. Gigafactorys Shanghai, Berlin and Austin are up or coming up within perhaps a year. That's a lotta nieches.
How many cars, be it Prius, Tesla model, whatever, does it take to be or not be a nieche car? Is there a definition for nieche? One might argue that every car is a nieche car becasuse it is designed for a specific market segment, or nieche.
The Prius was one of the biggest sellers in CA for 10 years. CA is, by far, the biggest (important) car market in the nation. Don't you think every other car maker was envious of those sales?
If you want to talk nieche, perhaps the hydrogen electric Murai, which is so far a failure, is a better example. Toyota followed the "distinctive" unique (ugly) look strategy. Sure didn't work this time. I talked to a few owners; they did not like their car and would certainly not be repeat owners. Most Prius owners were very happy with their purchase.
I have stated many times that EVs are not for everyone. Personally, I believe that many people who spend Tesla money would be better off buying a Civic, Accord, etc and investing the difference. "Are you sure you can afford this car?" is my mantra. You can say the same for Benzes, Porsches, Vettes, you name it. I used to drive used Hondas and Toyota pickups. When we ordered the Model 3, checking every box would not have been a problem. I bought the single motor RWD car.
EVs, as mass produced cars, are in relative infancy. If they weren't important, why is MBZ citing them in their new strategy? That's why I struggle with the term nieche.
I appreciate your comments, but I do not believe they reflect what is going on in the market. All good.
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The car industry puts Tesla in the lux market. Not me. It is generally compared favorably to the BMW 3 and 4 series. I believe the Beemer is lux, right?
I would agree that is it different from most other cars, lux or otherwise. Tesla is not trying to be like them.
I did not turn this into a Tesla thread; perhaps you might follow the thread timeline. I responded to other's posts.
I am very happy with my Model 3 purchase. It is an incredible car. I would buy another.
I do not spend this kinda money without serious consideration. This is true of all my cars. Perhaps the one regret I have is the RX 450h. I should have bought the F Sport. And the tech is disappointing especially in comparison to the Model 3. I have a 2021 RX 450h F Sport on order; it is being built as we speak. I hope this helps.
Like the Prius, that made no money for a very long time but was as much a programme as it was a vehicle, the handful of Tesla models are not feared by Mercedes. These had once been some proof of concept, so to speak, and that's about it.
What Mercedes et al. fear is primarily their loss of influence as they need to shrink and disemploy. Which all three are only good things, the loss, the shrinkage and the disemployment. We're done with steam engines although those required the second man with the shovel like we're done with good old field work although it meant lots of employment and now we'll just be done with many overcome drivetrains of today.
What they fear is the kid these days that already has a better chance of not becoming the hood ornament victim its poor dad had been for most of his life. The transitions aren't feared, everyone knows they'll be mastered. The kid gaining the importance they lose is what's feared.
The kid of course won't be entirely different from the father. Therefore this "new strategy" will still make some money after this billion by 2025 from still mostly the fathers' In-Car purchases. Only the cars needed as a vehicle of it all will become leaner.
And by the way, mobility will change to some degree. But that won't become too clear from any manufacturer's new strategies.
What Mercedes et al. fear is primarily their loss of influence as they need to shrink and disemploy. Which all three are only good things, the loss, the shrinkage and the disemployment. We're done with steam engines although those required the second man with the shovel like we're done with good old field work although it meant lots of employment and now we'll just be done with many overcome drivetrains of today.
What they fear is the kid these days that already has a better chance of not becoming the hood ornament victim its poor dad had been for most of his life. The transitions aren't feared, everyone knows they'll be mastered. The kid gaining the importance they lose is what's feared.
The kid of course won't be entirely different from the father. Therefore this "new strategy" will still make some money after this billion by 2025 from still mostly the fathers' In-Car purchases. Only the cars needed as a vehicle of it all will become leaner.
And by the way, mobility will change to some degree. But that won't become too clear from any manufacturer's new strategies.
It's considered niche because they're still small. You're looking at MB sales in the US vs Tesla sales. Tesla is mostly in the US. MB is worldwide. Last year MB sold over 2.3 million cars worldwide. Also I'd say the GLE is more comparable to the Y, about 5k more and it's more midsized than the smaller GLK. Toyota is 10.74 million worldwide sales. Don't get too hung up on the strategy. Those change all the time. Takes a long time to pivot in the car industry, just takes several years for changes to hit the market. Standard MO of Mercedes seems to be to release a car in other markets first for a year, then release in the US. Even with that, the first year is still bad and maybe by the 2nd or 3rd year things are fixed. If not, the refresh in the 4th year adds more stuff and by the 7th year it's the best of the platform by which time it's discontinued and time to rinse and repeat again. Look at your Model S sales, strong initially then slowed down and by a lot in 2019. There's a standard life cycle to car sales too. Probably why MB does the refresh and then new platform every 7 years. Anytime a new model comes out sales are high initially then slows down, the refresh increases sales again, but then declines again after a few years. People like new things. When it's no longer new, demand goes down.
They're slowly getting rid of the hood ornament. The new models mostly have the emblem in the grill instead of the regular plain grill. I think they're just doing a flat badge where the ornament used to be so I think you could probably put the hood ornament back but it probably won't look right. What's interesting about the hood ornament is that it's basically one size fits all, uses the same one basically across their entire lineup although maybe the really older models used a different one.
I see! That's one of the reasons why I'm so hard to understand: I'd already forgotten I was talking about MB who might actually still have a hood ornament 
I really meant us all, made the fathers up from just fashion victims, not the starlets.
I really meant us all, made the fathers up from just fashion victims, not the starlets.
We operate an amazing and large fleet of top shelf MB vehicles. The costs are staggering and the comfort is amazing.
There is also no question I’d rather drive a Tesla. MB seems to think that accelerator response is measured in multiple second intervals. Good god I find that annoying.
There is also no question I’d rather drive a Tesla. MB seems to think that accelerator response is measured in multiple second intervals. Good god I find that annoying.
You need to do a transmission reset. Also sometimes those transmissions are by default in economy mode instead of sports so they're a little more sluggish.
My neighbor bought RV. SO my wife, who hates them, checked it and said: hey this does not look bad, let's check some (I hate them too).
Anyway, we are in Vegas visiting her parents few weeks back and we go the check. They had parked that small MB motorhome, so I asked guy how much they go for ($170k), and he is: but whatever, you cannot get it now. That guy Jeff Bezos bought every single Sprinter on the market.
Anyway, we are in Vegas visiting her parents few weeks back and we go the check. They had parked that small MB motorhome, so I asked guy how much they go for ($170k), and he is: but whatever, you cannot get it now. That guy Jeff Bezos bought every single Sprinter on the market.
Similar story...
In fall 2017, we started looking for a Lexus RX 450h. Stevens Creek Lexus is one of the biggest Lexus dealerships in the nation. They only had 2 used 450h's in stock. They told me Apple had bought up all the new 450h's in Silicon Valley to build their autonomous driving car. Anyone we found at other local dealerships were offering almost zero discount. 2018 was a much better year for buyers.
My point is that there is more to MB.
And Apple definitely did not buy that many RX 450h as Amazon did Sprinter's (and other delivery companies).
Of course. MBZ is an incredible, legendary company.
I salute them for doing the right thing, taking the right steps, to keep their company strong.
That's why I started this thread.
You grow or you go in competitive markets.
sorry but the size of that screen is just absurd. Give me buttons, knobs anyday. I know how to turn a knob to increase my heat in the car. Sure the GPS is nice but most modern cars have that and the screen is nicely integrated into the dash. This looks like an after thought and you can bet would never hold up to Steve Jobs design-wise.
Yeah, I think it's awful. You don't have any gauges in front of you and have to stare off to the side at a screen. Much easier to hit a button without taking your eye off the road.
The infotaimnent screen takes some getting used to, especially for "adults" (whatever that means). Kids naturally take to the screen, right away. It is intuitive. I find our 2 Lexi overly complicated after driving the Tesla. There is beauty in simplicity.
Notice the microphone icon under the car; you touch it to activate the voice controls. Or the right button on the steering wheel (to the right of the center T).
To changet the temp I say, "Set the temperature to 74." Or say, "I'm cold" or "I'm hot."
You might learn where all the controls are on your own vehicles, maybe even get to muscle memory. What happens when you get into a rental or someone else's car? Software driven controls offer consistancy. Welcome to the future.
Having said this, these cars are not for everyone. You may not like the word futuristic, but that's what it is.
The one thing I don't like is the blind spot monitors on the screen. On the mirrors is far better.
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The screen style controls doesn't seem too ergonomic friendly, not does it allow for simple, quickly accomplishing a function. With a well designed IP, tasks can be accomplished with a single press of a switch, or a turn of a knob. Many of these buttons are positioned so that a multitude of tasks can be accomplished without ever moving your hands off the steering wheel, or even taking your eyes off the road.
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I put a 10" screen in my 2002 F350 simple so I could get android auto. It looks awkward to others- but to the driver very normal and natural. Yes, external screens are weird looking at first and I love knobs over computer set things like temperature- but have to say how pleasantly surprised. BTW- I own a 2005 and a 2006 Mercedes S500s (One RWD one AWD)- simply great vehicles.
I am with this $260 external screen in my older Ford truck.
Sometimes the old way is better than the new. I like the steering wheel in my older car, the buttons are right at my thumbs so it's easy to turn the volume up or down or pick up/hang up the phone. Also here's a picture I found of the dash, you can see off to the side as part of the dual climate control, they used a dial for the temperature. Easy to spin it up or down, very few steps and very fast.
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