Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Once the golden standard for quality and reliability, the three-pointed star took a turn for the worse in the 1990s. Many people believe that Mercedes changed for the worse when the M-Class rolled out, namely the same time the German automaker merged with Chrysler in one of the automotive industry’s worst partnerships ever.
We also have to remember that Merc went downmarket with the A-Class hatchback in the name of bigger production numbers to the detriment of quality, and lest we forget, the W168 was criticized from the get-go for failing the moose test. The C-Class SportCoupe was a dumpster fire in its own right, a 2002 model that was discontinued from the U.S. lineup after the 2005 model year over poor reception.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the premier brand of Daimler AG still offers compacts that are designed on a shoestring budget, made cheaply, and sold at un-Mercedes price point. The question is, why? Compare the A-Class Sedan with a similarly sized car from a volume automaker, and you’ll understand that entry-level models from luxury automakers don’t cut the mustard anymore. We live in a day and age where even a small Hyundai is good, let alone a Civic or a Camry.
After two decades of diluting the brand to such an extent that Mercedes customers aren’t coming back to the three-pointed star for their next car, head honcho Ola Kallenius has finally realized the mistake made by his predecessors. “Maybe we went at a bit too far to cover each and every space into each and every segment. Compact particularly comes to mind,” he told analysts as per Automotive News.
Kallenius has highlighted that “we should not become a competitor of the volume makers” but focus on more expensive models, larger vehicles such as the S-Class and G-Class. The chief exec didn’t mention if Mercedes will pull the plug on the A-Class Sedan or other entry-level models, but the die has been cast nevertheless.
The German automaker should also remember that “luxury” and “quality” are two extremely different concepts. Luxury is how we perceive the car as a whole. Quality is defined by the materials used in the manufacturing process, the fit and finish, and the reliability of the said car. In other words, you can't have luxury without quality.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the premier brand of Daimler AG still offers compacts that are designed on a shoestring budget, made cheaply, and sold at un-Mercedes price point. The question is, why? Compare the A-Class Sedan with a similarly sized car from a volume automaker, and you’ll understand that entry-level models from luxury automakers don’t cut the mustard anymore. We live in a day and age where even a small Hyundai is good, let alone a Civic or a Camry.
After two decades of diluting the brand to such an extent that Mercedes customers aren’t coming back to the three-pointed star for their next car, head honcho Ola Kallenius has finally realized the mistake made by his predecessors. “Maybe we went at a bit too far to cover each and every space into each and every segment. Compact particularly comes to mind,” he told analysts as per Automotive News.
Kallenius has highlighted that “we should not become a competitor of the volume makers” but focus on more expensive models, larger vehicles such as the S-Class and G-Class. The chief exec didn’t mention if Mercedes will pull the plug on the A-Class Sedan or other entry-level models, but the die has been cast nevertheless.
The German automaker should also remember that “luxury” and “quality” are two extremely different concepts. Luxury is how we perceive the car as a whole. Quality is defined by the materials used in the manufacturing process, the fit and finish, and the reliability of the said car. In other words, you can't have luxury without quality.
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