Hot! Mercedes-Benz, What's Next?


They'd need to homologate it no?

Yeah, but in GT3 the requirements are simply not that close to production - there's not necessarily enough of the original car in the racing car for savings in the underpinnings of the road car to save that much in the race car - and then there's technical waivers that may mean you can do something outside of homologation anyway.
 
The next-gen AMG GT 4 door is shaping up to look great to me.

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Have you heard anything about its design? I remember reading Kacher talking about MB looking at the past for its new design.

Certainly the concept car could turn out to be a turn when it goes to production.
 
Have you heard anything about its design?

The general proportions of the silhouette appear clear and will most probably be translated accurately on the serial production car. As the hoods surface is cladded, its crest may even be a bit lower. Wheel arch sheetmetal sculpturing appears "fixed" for the production version as well. Perhaps the biggest mystery is the cars rear end. Will the production version present a Kamm-Back of sorts with the very thin half-stadium shaped taillamps similar to what is seen on the EQXX and AMG Vision concepts ? Or will we see a more conventional, rounded theme similar to that presented on the R232 SL/AMG GT coupe ? The treatment of the small rear sideglass area behind the rear doors also remains a mystery at this point. What seems a certainty is that it will be a long, low and wide automobile. A bit larger than the Porsche Taycan, I'd guess.
 
Mercedes-Benz sold 594,600 cars and vans in the third quarter
  • Mercedes-Benz Cars: Q3 sales reached 503,600 cars, +1% quarter-on-quarter with good momentum in the U.S. and stable sales in Europe. Plug-in-Hybrid sales up +10%
  • Mercedes-Benz Vans: Q3 sales reached 91,100 vans in line with expectations
Mercedes-Benz Group sold 594,600 cars and vans in the third quarter in a challenging environment. Sales of Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars continued to rise quarter-on-quarter, driven by improved product availability. However softer demand, mainly in Asia, affected overall sales. Mercedes-Benz Vans faced a softening environment in the third quarter especially in the core markets Germany, U.S. and China. In Europe overall, excluding Germany, Mercedes-Benz Vans saw a very solid sales development.

Mercedes-Benz Cars

“Mercedes-Benz sold more than 500,000 cars from July to September, a slight increase compared with the second quarter and in line with the prior-year period. Offering desirable products is the best way to forge ahead as consumer demand softens in some important markets.”

Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Marketing & Sales
Mercedes-Benz Cars Q3 sales rose 1% on the quarter, to 503,600 units and remained on last years’ level as weaker macroeconomic conditions, mainly in Asia, outweighed improved product availability in Q3.
The market environment for battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales remained subdued with competitive pricing in important markets. Plug-in-Hybrids sales increased by 10% globally in the third quarter mainly driven by the U.S. market.

As stated in September, sales of Top-End vehicles in particular were impacted by a slowdown in China to 61,800 units, affecting sales of S-Class family vehicles. However, the flagship remained the undisputed leader in its segment in all key regions. Sales of Mercedes-AMG performance cars increased 8% compared to Q3 2023, thanks to improved product availability. Sales of the G-Class rose 2% on the quarter, even during the transition to an all-new model, which is receiving excellent customer feedback.

First deliveries of the new electric G-Class started in September. Mercedes-Maybach presented its latest and sportiest model in August, the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series (provisional figures, combined energy consumption: 13.7 l/100 km | combined CO₂ emissions: 312 g/km | CO₂ class: G).
Sales in the Core segment increased by 4% quarter-on-quarter to 301,000 vehicles, and by 4% compared with the prior-year period, driven by further improved availability of GLC models and the market introductions of CLE models.

With 140,700 vehicles sold in the Entry segment, sales were around the same level as Q2, but below Q3 the previous year. This development is mainly driven by the market development in China and in line with the company’s value-over-volume oriented sales approach.
Sales in North America increased significantly by 29% compared to prior-year quarter, driven by good sales momentum in the U.S. market after full availability of GLC models and further market launches of Mercedes-AMG models.

Quarter-on-quarter sales in Europe remained stable, reaching 158,300 vehicles. Market development remained heterogeneous, with positive sales momentum in the UK, where Q3 sales rose 17% compared to last year. In Germany, Q3 Top-End sales remained flat, while E-Class and GLC models proven popular. Mercedes-Benz is the clear leader in the PHEV segment in Germany.

Quarter-on-quarter sales in Asia remained subdued, particularly in the Top-End segment, with 226,300 units sold. In Q3, the macroeconomic environment softened, first and foremost in China which impacted overall sales. An overall lower consumption, especially for luxury goods and continued discounting mainly in the EV segment, affected sales in China. Despite the challenges, Mercedes-Benz maintained its overall market share in China and remained customers’ top choice in the luxury car market priced RMB 1 million and above. To enhance our offering, the core product portfolio in China will see more intelligence feature upgrades within the year. The new E-Class was launched in October in India, while overall Q3 sales increased by 21%.

Sales overview
Q3
2024
Change Q2 2024Change
Q3 2023
YTD
2024
Change
YTD 2023
Mercedes-Benz Group594,600-1%-3%1,763,200-5%
- thereof BEVs46,900-8%-31%148,500-22%
Mercedes-Benz Cars503,600+1%-1%1,463,300-4%
- thereof BEVs42,500-7%-31%135,900-22%
- thereof xEVs87,200-3%-15%267,400-8%
Mercedes-Benz Cars sales by segments*
Top-End61,800-12%-12%198,700-19%
Core301,000+4%+4%858,700+5%
Entry140,700+3%-7%405,800-13%
Mercedes-Benz Cars sales by regions and markets
Europe**158,300+1%-4%476,000-2%
- thereof Germany50,000+1%-7%149,700-13%
Asia226,300+0%-9%662,600-10%
- thereof China170,700-1%-13%512,200-10%
North America***96,400+2%+29%264,600+6%
- thereof U.S.85,000+0%+33%236,300+9%
Rest of World22,500+15%+2%60,100+1%
*Top-End: Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, G-Class, S-Class, GLS, EQS and EQS SUV
*Core: All derivatives from C- and E-Class, incl. EQC, EQE and EQE SUV
*Entry: All derivatives from A- and B-Class incl. EQA, EQB and smart
** Europe: European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway
*** North America: USA, Canada and Mexico
All figures rounded. Preliminary figures subject to change pending final reports.
 
Mercedes-Benz USA Reports Q3 2024

PHEV:

Group sales in the Plug-in Hybrid segment are up 213% compared to Q3 2023 following the introduction of the GLC 350e 4MATIC, AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE, AMG S 63 E PERFORMANCE and AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE.

Top-End:
Top-End vehicles sales are up 33% in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023. Group sales for Mercedes-AMG high-performance models totaled 9,537 units, an increase of 31% from the same quarter last year.

Core:
Group sales are up 43% in the Core segment compared to the same quarter last year. Strong availability for the GLC made it the volume leader for the quarter, recording a year-over-year increase of 144%. Demand for the GLE is also up 34% in Q3 2024 versus Q3 2023.

Entry:
The Entry segment saw an increase of 27% from the same quarter last year due to availability of the CLA, GLA and GLB in Q3 2024. The CLA increased 114% compared to Q3 2023 with 4,717 units. The GLA is up 668% in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023.

Mercedes-Benz USA Q3 2024
Model Line
Q3 2024
Q3 2023
Quarterly %
YTD 2024
YTD 2023
Yearly %
A-CLASS
-​
6​
-100%​
3​
74​
-**​
C-CLASS
9,828​
7,460​
32%​
27,257​
24,734​
10%​
E-CLASS
3,427​
6,944​
-51%​
11,473​
13,926​
-18%​
S-CLASS
1,061​
1,034​
3%​
5,846​
8,187​
-29%​
G-CLASS
1,642​
1,780​
-8%​
7,119​
7,583​
-6%​
CLA
4,717​
2,209​
114%​
8,312​
7,905​
5%​
CLE
5,754​
-​
-​
10,037​
-​
-​
CLS
19​
605​
-97%​
37​
1,225​
-**​
GLA
6,703​
873​
668%​
13,449​
10,938​
23%​
GLB
3,108​
5,817​
-47%​
12,150​
13,563​
-10%​
GLC
20,302​
8,304​
144%​
46,407​
28,693​
62%​
GLE
15,274​
11,398​
34%​
46,150​
43,083​
7%​
GLS
6,460​
6,185​
4%​
20,707​
17,846​
16%​
SL
233​
1,195​
-81%​
1,085​
3,344​
-68%​
GT
740​
225​
229%​
2,492​
1,765​
41%​
EQB
2,917​
4,223​
-31%​
6,761​
7,936​
-15%​
EQE
1,664​
3,996​
-58%​
10,688​
13,350​
-20%​
EQS
1,188​
1,765​
-33%​
6,296​
12,514​
-50%​
Total
85,037​
64,019​
33%​
236,269​
216,666​
9%​
 
Several German-language financial/economic media outlets are reporting that immense pressure is mounting on CEO Ola Källenius and that his dismissal may be imminent. The disappointment of crucial shareholders has apparently reached a boiling point. Too many strategical decisions made during Källenius' tenure as CEO represent the "Midas In Reverse Syndrome". The "Luxury First" strategy, the abandoning of the lucrative taxicab market, the commercial failure of the EQ sedans...all basically for the dungheap.
 
Several German-language financial/economic media outlets are reporting that immense pressure is mounting on CEO Ola Källenius and that his dismissal may be imminent. The disappointment of crucial shareholders has apparently reached a boiling point. Too many strategical decisions made during Källenius' tenure as CEO represent the "Midas In Reverse Syndrome". The "Luxury First" strategy, the abandoning of the lucrative taxicab market, the commercial failure of the EQ sedans...all basically for the dungheap.
Good he needs to go.

Too many bad decisions

Alot of companies during after COVID raised prices, after resilience in the ultra luxury market with higher margins, however now post COVID, with raised prices, sales are falling.

This is happening to other luxury brands like LV, bang & olufsen who all put a substantial price increase on their products across the board.

Middle earners are too squeezed to be able to afford the new price points
 
Q3 2024

A-Class/CLA 54,300 (Q3 2023: 54,200)
B-Class 4,300 (Q3 2023:4,900)
C-Class/CLE 88,800 (Q3 2023:82,000)
E-Class 72,500 (Q3 2023: 84,200)
G-Class 8,900 (Q3 2023:10,200)
GLA 45,900 (Q3 2023:42,500)
GLB 43,300 (Q3 2023:51,600)
GLC 109,200 (Q3 2023: 83,700)
GLE 47,500 (Q3 2023: 52,800)
S-Class/GLS/EQS/EQS SUV 26,000 (Q3 2023: 36,100)
Mercedes-AMG 32,300 (Q3 2023: 30,100)
Mercedes-Maybach 5,100 (Q3 2023: 6,600)

Mercedes-Benz GroupQ3 2024Q3 2023Change 24/23Q1-Q3
2024
Q1-Q3
2023
Change 24/23
Revenue* 34,52837,001-6.7%107,144112,414-4.7%
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)* 2,5174,842-48.0%10,41715,334-32.1%
Net profit/loss* 1,7193,719-53.8%7,80611,371-31.4%
Free Cash Flow industrial business (FCF)* 2,3942,347+2.0%6,2567,874-20.5%
Earnings per share (EPS) in EUR 1.813.44-47.5%7.6210.47-27.2%

 
bang & olufsen who all put a substantial price increase on their products across the board

B&O have always been on drugs price wise, but offering a new version of the old BeoSound9000 for £45,000 is just ****ing offensive. That's about 15 times the price they were when I used to sell them, and they weren't worth it then.
 
Several German-language financial/economic media outlets are reporting that immense pressure is mounting on CEO Ola Källenius and that his dismissal may be imminent. The disappointment of crucial shareholders has apparently reached a boiling point. Too many strategical decisions made during Källenius' tenure as CEO represent the "Midas In Reverse Syndrome". The "Luxury First" strategy, the abandoning of the lucrative taxicab market, the commercial failure of the EQ sedans...all basically for the dungheap.

This is exactly why I was shocked the board decided to extend Ola's contract in summer 2023 even though his contract wasn't set to expire until May of this year. It was a big vote of confidence to extend his contract ahead of time despite softness showing back then with the lagging EV sales.
 
B&O have always been on drugs price wise, but offering a new version of the old BeoSound9000 for £45,000 is just ****ing offensive. That's about 15 times the price they were when I used to sell them, and they weren't worth it then.
Haha, how very true. I have that Beosound 9000 by the way. Bought that in the mid 2000 (if memory serves 2007). Together with a Beovision 7, 4 speakers Beolab 9, some sort of a bass woofer and a much to expensive hard disk for storing films and other recordings. Cost me an arm and a leg. I would do that never, ever again.
 

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Group AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Established in 1926, Mercedes-Benz Group produces consumer luxury vehicles and light commercial vehicles badged as Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, and Mercedes-Maybach. Its origin lies in Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's 1901 Mercedes and Carl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is widely regarded as the first internal combustion engine in a self-propelled automobile. The slogan for the brand is "the best or nothing".
Official website: Mercedes-Benz (Global), Mercedes-Benz (USA)

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