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Massive decline in new registrations in China for Mercedes in July 2025
Car production in China rose by around 15% in July 2025. Mercedes is unable to benefit from this. Mercedes lost 46% of new registrations in July 2025 compared to the same month last year. Sales also fell by around 19% in the January to July period as a whole.
This means that Mercedes is losing more ground than BMW and Audi.
Massiver Rückgang der Neuzulassungen in China für Mercedes im Juli 2025 - Im Juli geht es für Mercedes über 46% bergab
jesmb.de
Mercedes realigns itself – with an eye on China
Mercedes-Benz is at a turning point. CEO Ola Källenius has therefore announced an ambitious program designed to make the group more efficient and redefine its position in the global market. The aim is to significantly reduce costs per vehicle while at the same time reinventing the brand. Instead of being purely a luxury car manufacturer, Mercedes wants to stand for something “special” in the future – for vehicles that are more than just status symbols and deliberately stand out from the crowd.
Källenius is under considerable pressure. He is currently being accused of several misjudgments: inappropriate model decisions, questionable design, too few cylinders in key model series, plus overcapacity in the factories and unplanned additional expenditure. These burdens have narrowed the group's scope for action – and explain why the CEO now has to take particularly decisive countermeasures.
The strategic focus is clearly on China. Not only is it Mercedes' largest sales market, it also sets the pace for future developments. Chinese buyers value innovation, design, and digital connectivity—features that Mercedes is increasingly integrating into its vehicles. The “special” is therefore not sought in pomp or excess, but in a combination of exclusive technology, striking design, and tailor-made services.
he realignment is even more evident in production. According to the company,
“We are becoming even more Chinese.” The goal is ambitious: in the medium to long term, up to 100 percent of the so-called factor costs for locally manufactured models are to be incurred directly in the People's Republic. This is not yet the case today, as a number of components continue to be imported from the West. This quickly adds up to several thousand euros per vehicle. However, these flows of goods could dry up over time, with the result that value creation will increasingly be withdrawn from Europe and relocated to China.
For Mercedes, this move means that the desired cost reductions can best be achieved where economies of scale and a strong supplier network come together – and that is in China. At the same time, the group is securing its access to important future technologies such as batteries and electronic components, which are often more expensive and harder to obtain in Europe.
With this dual focus – cost discipline and a new brand promise – Mercedes wants to make a fresh start in the coming years. The company no longer wants to be just the classic luxury brand from Stuttgart, but a global provider that offers something special: vehicles that impress with their technology, quality, and uniqueness. This is a task that the company wants and needs to accomplish.
But this new planned path carries risks. The more Mercedes gets involved in China, the greater its dependence on a market that is not always predictable economically and politically. For Källenius, however, it is the logical step: only if Mercedes becomes more efficient and recharges its brand promise at the same time will the group have a chance to hold its own in global competition. The “special” is thus to become the new core of Mercedes – and China the decisive partner on this path.
Mercedes richtet sich neu aus: Statt Luxus soll das „Besondere“ im Mittelpunkt stehen – mit stärkerem Fokus auf China, trotz Kritik an Källenius.
mbpassion.de
