Hot! Mercedes-Benz, What's Next?

[Gor134]

I don’t understand the enthusiasm about the interior of the AMG GT 4 door. An all screen dashboard, a silly glass roof, open cupholders and a non-leathered airbag cap on the steering wheel. The metallic looking parts, I’d first like to touch and feel before judgement.

Presentation matters if you're cost cutting.

For example, new Audi interiors you can tell at the first glance the whole interior is enshittified and plastic. Here we have some interesting materials being used as well as trim pieces and colours which take away from some of the 'obvious' cost cutting

 

[Mr. Peanutbutter]

Presentation matters if you're cost cutting.

For example, new Audi interiors you can tell at the first glance the whole interior is enshittified and plastic. Here we have some interesting materials being used as well as trim pieces and colours which take away from some of the 'obvious' cost cutting

But this is a flagship AMG EV on a completely different tier. Comparing its interior materials to the newer mainstream Audis doesn’t really make sense...

 

[Gor134]

Just giving an example where presentation makes a difference.

 

[Rolf]

I must say the new GLC EQ has shown that Mercedes once again for even their midrange cars is adding in some more metallic finishes and interesting wood and other trim panels on the center console and taken out the piano black plastic trim which looks like they paying attention to customers comments and reducing the impression of cost cutting. The seats also have a new diamond pattern which all looks alot more expensive.

Sure this car is more expensive car and except for the screens everything else in the interior looks a notch up in quality even against the SL/GT 2dr interiors, which has obvious cost cutting on the center console and door control panel.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

I don’t understand the enthusiasm about the interior of the AMG GT 4 door. An all screen dashboard, a silly glass roof, open cupholders and a non-leathered airbag cap on the steering wheel. The metallic looking parts, I’d first like to touch and feel before judgement.

the only things that looked interesting or appealing:
1) the speaker grilles
2) actually knobs on the console
and honorable mention 3) the HVAC vents above the center console.

otherwise it's your usual current M-B setup which, according to their recently departed head designer, isn't very lux.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

the only things that looked interesting or appealing:
1) the speaker grilles
2) actually knobs on the console
and honorable mention 3) the HVAC vents above the center console.

otherwise it's your usual current M-B setup which, according to their recently departed head designer, isn't very lux.

Look interesting, well said. I wouldn’t be surprised if the HVAC vents are made of pure plastic. The same goes for the knobs and speaker grilles, though I’m less sure about those two. Remember, this is a car in the 200.000-300.000 price bracket.

 

[leylandi]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[klugscheisser87]

It’s so tacky I would be actually ashamed to drive some1 in that interior.

People are complaining that Porsche interiors are boring, but this is a level of a gypsy living room.

Btw, they are stuck with the same vent design since 2010, I know they tried retro but I find it ugly since it was introduced.
They keep doing that even in the EQ line and S-Class with that cheap side cuts on the hyper-screen to fit that round uglyness on its sides.

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

It’s so tacky I would be actually ashamed to drive some1 in that interior.

People are complaining that Porsche interiors are boring, but this is a level of a gypsy living room.

Btw, they are stuck with the same vent design since 2010, I know they tried retro but I find it ugly since it was introduced.
They keep doing that even in the EQ line and S-Class with that cheap side cuts on the hyper-screen to fit that round uglyness on its sides.

Regardless of what your tastes may be. Some people quite like the cyberpunk aesthetic.

 

[klugscheisser87]

Regardless of what your tastes may be. Some people quite like the cyberpunk aesthetic.

Despite different tastes, I would have no problem with that in a Dodge, Chevy or maybe even Abarth.

But in a SL like lineup I wish the design were more ambitious and sophisticated.
The whole lineup is sumerged in a very tacky patternfilia and chaos where I really don’t recognize the once praised German Design principals inside and out.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

Regardless of what your tastes may be. Some people quite like the cyberpunk aesthetic.

To me it’s disgusting and absolutely tasteless. Like most of the newest AMG labeled products tbh.

 

[BorkLaser]

Despite different tastes, I would have no problem with that in a Dodge, Chevy or maybe even Abarth.

But in a SL like lineup I wish the design were more ambitious and sophisticated.
The whole lineup is sumerged in a very tacky patternfilia and chaos where I really don’t recognize the once praised German Design principals inside and out.

MB sells in China nowadays more Maybach S-Classes than the medium and short S-Classes though. They also buy ten times more S-Classes than the Germans. Roughly 200 units in Germany vs at least 2000 units in China.

If you wanna generate money and profits, you have to adapt to, what your affluent customer base demands. You don´t listen towards people, who are useless and have no money: Like the Europeans for example.

I mean the high end Chinese car market doesn´t like a very specific type of drivetrain option

Spoiler

()

and a certain company, who is also from Stuttgart, painfully experienced this ,when they released the 2nd generation of their very popular Compact CUV.

Edit: And also here is the thing: The German way of economics is trying to generate your profits by EXPORTING OUR SHIT. We have justified our huge garbage low wage sector in order to be competitive for our exports, so that Susanne Klatten can afford gigolos and cheat on her useless husband. Yeah.

 

[klugscheisser87]

MB sells in China nowadays more Maybach S-Classes than the medium and short S-Classes though. They also buy ten times more S-Classes than the Germans. Roughly 200 units in Germany vs at least 2000 units in China.

If you wanna generate money and profits, you have to adapt to, what your affluent customer base demands. You don´t listen towards people, who are useless and have no money: Like the Europeans for example.

I mean the high end Chinese car market doesn´t like a very specific type of drivetrain option

Spoiler

()

and a certain company, who is also from Stuttgart, painfully experienced this ,when they released the 2nd generation of their very popular Compact CUV.

Edit: And also here is the thing: The German way of economics is trying to generate your profits by EXPORTING OUR SHIT. We have justified our huge garbage low wage sector in order to be competitive for our exports, so that Susanne Klatten can afford gigolos and cheat on her useless husband. Yeah.

Mercedes would love to read that and forget about all other makers to compete with in China.
The truth is more complex and Mercedes isn’t doing good there same in weakening market in North America.

To justify their tacky designs and mediocre build quality putting China as excuse is obsolete, at least about 6-7 years.
Just to stop sharing the same myths, China is demanding well designed and well build vehicles, so their home brands are making very refined based on their actual tastes products.

For example few interior shots from best selling premium home brands ( no stars, shiny cracky piano plastics, led-porno nor vacuum-cleaner like vents):

I would call it clean and even conservative.

I also recommend to check out NIO cars, you won‘t find there any cracky dashes nor vomitive patterns. Well build and nicely packed together.

 

[BorkLaser]

I also recommend to check out NIO cars, you won‘t find there any cracky dashes nor vomitive patterns. Well build and nicely packed together.

https://assets.adac.de/image/upload/Autodatenbank/Autotest/AT6478-nio-el8-long-range-executive-inkl-batterie/nio-el8-long-range-executive-inkl-batterie.pdf

NIO EL8 is in China NIO ES8
On page 2:

- Beim Interieur fallen knarzende Kunststoffteile auf, sei es am
Armaturenbrett, die Türrahmenverkleidungen oder die Türgriffe.
Abseits der primär mit den Passagieren in Kontakt stehenden
Bereiche lassen sich auch mal unsauber entgratete
Kunststoffkanten erfühlen. Vorne wie hinten sind die
Türverkleidungen nur an den wesentlichen Kontaktstellen
geschäumt, sonst passt der gehobene Gesamteindruck. Um die
Fronthaube zu öffnen, muss man sich aber schon weit unter das
Armaturenbrett bemühen und wissen, dass es dort etwas zu
bedienen gibt.

The interior reveals creaking plastic parts, whether on the dashboard, door frame trim, or door handles.
Away from the areas primarily in contact with the passengers, one can also feel poorly finished plastic edges. Both front and rear, the door panels are only foamed at the essential contact points; otherwise, the overall impression is one of high quality. However, to open the hood, one has to reach quite far under the dashboard and know that there is something to operate there.

Also NIO had an extremly good start here in Germany apparently:

Nio: First-time profit, but disastrous start in Germany

The Chinese electric carmaker posted a profit for the first time at the end of 2025. In Germany, however, 2026 began with exactly ONE new registration!

vision-mobility.de

The Chinese electric carmaker posted a profit for the first time at the end of 2025. In Germany, however, 2026 began with exactly ONE new registration!

As you said it: The truth is more complex lel.

 

[Design FIRST]

Edit: And also here is the thing: The German way of economics is trying to generate your profits by EXPORTING OUR SHIT. We have justified our huge garbage low wage sector in order to be competitive for our exports, so that Susanne Klatten can afford gigolos and cheat on her useless husband. Yeah.

Regarding Germany's economic model:

The realities of it are beginning to sink in for many. Sadly NOT for many enough. Those realities are: a.) the dependance on Russia as the major supplier of relatively cheap energy has proven to be a massive liability. b.) the dependance on China as a major export market has proven to be a massive liability. c.) the dependance on the U.S. for military security has become an extremely costly liability.

One could add the typically German propensity to the promote sprawling bureaucracy and regulation largely for the sake of supporting the security of hundreds of thousands of state-financed bureaucrats who contribute little if anything to Germany's economic and social well-being and, in fact, present a severe drain on resources.

 

[Dopebouy]

Any VLE leaks yet?

 

[Merc1]

Not yet lol.

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/vehicles/vle-livestream/

M