Reasons behind MB's downfall

[Wolfgang]

blurb on A/B profitability

Mercedes A class makes money, exec says

Now the car makes money, Jörg Prigl, vice president of program management for the A and B classes at Mercedes-Benz Cars, said at a press event here to introduce the face-lifted A class. He declined to give details about the car’s profitability.

Prigl said: “The goal was always to make this project profitable. We had some trouble doing so with the first generation, but that was because we had invested a lot of money to begin with.”

This is significant because automakers typically find it hard to make a profit on small vehicles. That’s because they cannot charge the same premiums they do for larger, more upscale models.

Jürgen Pieper, an analyst at Metzler Bank in Frankfurt, estimates that the current A class has a profit margin of about 2 percent. The current B class has a profit margin of 3.5 percent, he said.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20080609/ANE03/412487106#ixzz1uJftGRO9

Under the microscope: A successful player in the premium compact vehicle segment
Mercedes-Benz is already a successful premium manufacturer of compact vehicles with its A- and B-Class. Over 2.8 million A- and B-Class models have rolled off the production line since the launch of the A-Class in 1997 and the B-Class in 2005.

The launch of the B-Class from Mercedes-Benz in 2005 laid the foundations for a new, future-viable market segment, attracting more than 700,000 delighted customers worldwide.
The B-Class continues to enjoy great popularity in the year of the model change. 73,046 vehicles were delivered to customers between January and the end of August this year. This corresponds to a growth rate of 7.6 percent.

In Germany, the largest market for the B-Class, sales rose by 5.6 percent over the same period. The second-largest market for the B-Class is China, where it was launched with great success in 2009. This year alone has seen sales rise since January in the order of 46.8 percent, to 9738 units.

http://media.daimler.com/dcmedia/1-921-1403831-1-1428404-1-0-0-0-0-1-11702-854934-0-1-0-0-0-0-0.html

 

[Wolfgang]

Quo Vadis Mercedes?

Mercedes-Benz Cars Division Day in Hungary Kecskemét, March 29, 2012
on the occasion of the Grand Opening of the Mercedes-Benz Kecskemét Plant, the new production plant for the Mercedes-Benz Compact Class.

Daimler presents its strategy, key initiatives and goals for Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Recording audio webcast ​

Duration: 3 h, 27 min.

Presentation of Dr. Dieter Zetsche
Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars

English (pdf-file, 5.0 MB)​

Presentation of Dr. Joachim Schmidt
Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales & Marketing

English (pdf-file, 8.02 MB) ​

Presentation of Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber
Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development

English (pdf-file, 2.64 MB)​

Presentation of Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard
Manufacturing and Procurement Mercedes-Benz Cars & Mercedes-Benz Vans

English (pdf-file, 4.29 MB)​

 

[mini_cooper4]

You heard of Smart?

I've heard of being smart
Smart has very little to do in this thread...

 

[Pagani]

In the S-Class slide, Webber has mistakenly put the 221 where the 220 belongs.

 

[Pagani]

 

[K-A]

Haha, doofuses. Please tell me M-B didn't put that thing out with a W221 pictured as a "W220". LOL.