Old Cars For Sale

Should Mercedes-Benz eliminate the C-class, and GLK-class vehicles from their model lineup?

i mean this company has a long history of producing exclusive luxury saloons for the wealthy and financially well-off, as well as a long admirable racing heritage. to this day they produce cars which compete against bentley, ferrari, lamborghini, maserati and the like and those models remain very exclusive, yet the c-class which was introduced about 20 years ago to compete in the sporty near-luxury category dominated by the bmw 3-series made the mercedes mark more attainable to the average joe, thus lowering the prestige of the mercedes brand in general. i think it's appropriate for bmw to have cars in this segment since bmw has a history of making small, sporty upscale-but-not-quite-luxo cars, but should mercedes-benz eliminate the c-class or even the c-class derivative glk suv from their lineup in order to restore their currently diminished brand image in america? jaguar tried a similar tactic to increase sales by introducing the x-type to the u.s. market to compete in the sporty near-luxury category, but has since eliminated it from their model lineup and just focus on certain models to maintain their exclusivity and brand image. should mercedes follow jaguar's example? for the record, i think the near-luxury segment is an important segment and works great for bmw and audi, as well as for vw, infiniti and lexus to compete in, especially to attract younger sports-oriented buyers, however for a brand like mercedes which is all about big expensive luxury cars and exclusive sports cars/ roadsters it's just not fitting for their brand image.

Public Comments

1. Well I think the first thing Mercedes should do is appoint you as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.
2. No. Fancy vehicles get people in the door but most people cant afford an S-Class. Some people might not want something that big either. The C-Class is their biggest seller followed by the E-Class. Those 2 models are probably 80+% of their volume. Get rid of that and they probably go out of business or at the very least don't have the money to put into the really fancy stuff.
3. The first thing you have to realize is that Mercedes Benz is really only seen as a luxury vehicle company in North America. When you go to Europe, they are a much more common place automobile. Did you know they are used as taxis in Germany and a lot of other countries? Many of those taxis are stripped down versions of C and E-Class vehicles which are common place in Europe. It's only in North America that we only get the top end models and the larger engines. You can, for example, get a 4-cylinder E-Class in Europe or a S or SL-Class vehicle with a 6 cylinder. They also have smaller vehicles we don't see such as the A-Class vehicle which is a small, economical, front wheel drive car. That car is basically an upper end compact car but it is nowhere close to what we would consider a luxury vehicle. There is much more to Mercedes than what we see in a North American showroom. Did you know they also make vans? Not just the Sprinter (which as of 2010 is no longer being handled by Dodge but is now being sold and serviced by Mercedes Benz in both Canada and the U.S.) but check out the Benz Vito as well.
4. It may sound like that's the best thing to do, but those entry-level cars make up the majority of Mercedes' sales. I hate it when prestigious brands move down-market, but there's a lot of money to be made in that segment. BMW: 1-series, 3-series, X1, X3. Audi: A3, A4, Q3, Q5. Lexus: CTh, IS, RX. Mercedes isn't going to let this segment go unfilled. That's why they have the C-class, GLK-class, and have plans to introduce the B-class to North America next year. And just because someone buys a C--class doesn't always mean they couldn't afford an S-class. Some people want a nice car but don't have the need for something as large as the E-class or S-class.