Hot! Mercedes-Benz, What's Next?

[klier]

I believe Mercedes/BMW/Audi/VW sales in China will only go downhill, at best stagnate.

Not stagnate. Just downhill.
Betting on China as an EU brand is simply beyond delusional and irredeemable

Just focus on the EU, North America and some other major countries. That will still get you a market of a billion people and is perfectly fine.

Mercedes should stay true to their brand and legacy and offer premium products even in China. They shouldn't dilute the brand just for the sales.

Exactly! Focus on the markets I mentioned above, and try to sell what you can in China. Focus! Many Chinese will appreciate that even, particularly when their market matures further and people want something non-Chinese.

 

[Swissbob]

China is a dead horse for all European car companies.

 

[Merc1]

I believe Mercedes/BMW/Audi/VW sales in China will only go downhill, at best stagnate. The reason for this is that Nio, BYD, Xpeng, Xiaomi, Avatar, etc, they managed to make accessible for the masses what was only available for the rich. They managed to give almost the same technology (if not newer) and luxury like in the premium German cars for half the price.
I think this is enough of a reason for the Chinese buyers to buy the local brands (with all of their quality issues) and not pay at least double the price for the German brands.

Mercedes should stay true to their brand and legacy and offer premium products even in China. They shouldn't dilute the brand just for the sales. If they really want to get the numbers, then probably they should make a new car brand (like BYD's Denza) , associate it with Mercedes and then do whatever they want out of it to be able to compete with the Chinese brands.

Very well said IMO. I wouldn't have agreed with this just a few years ago, but I think if Mercedes wants to truly compete in China then another brand would be the way forward, one that is leaner, faster and more youthfully tech driven that can solely cater to the Chinese market. Then focus on getting Mercedes back to what it used to be. Here's the thing, I think that if Mercedes really went back to building the best cars possible, their sales in China would recover to a degree anyways. The separate brand strategy would allow them to focus on a Mercedes being a Mercedes, because a Chinese looking Mercedes isn't going to work everywhere else. I actually think the Chinese want an authentic Mercedes too, one that doesn't pander. Rolls, Bentley, Porsche all seem to be unapologetic on what they sell in any market around the world. The biggest problems would be deciding on what this new brand should be and which Chinese partner to go with. I personally don't think the Chinese know shit about cars so it's kinda like no matter what you do, the tech/screens/price will always win now. I mean Buick is a treasured brand in China and a joke in it's home country, the USA. Speaks volumes.

M

 

[klier]

Here's the thing, I think that if Mercedes really went back to building the best cars possible, their sales in China would recover to a degree anyways. The separate brand strategy would allow them to focus on a Mercedes being a Mercedes, because a Chinese looking Mercedes isn't going to work everywhere else.

Exactly. And moreover, they have plenty of Chinese looking Mercedes wannabe brands already. Making an actual old school vault like properly engineered Mercedes from Germany is what will attract many potential Chinese buyers in the future, simply because they can never create that themselves no matter what happens..

 

[Esp5]

they should make a new car brand (like BYD's Denza) , associate it with Mercedes and then do whatever they want out of it to be able to compete with the Chinese brands.

They already did it, it was precisely Denza, but they got rid of it for some reason and now it's starting to become successful.

"Denza is a luxury vehicle brand originally created in 2010 by a joint venture (50/50) between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, but is now wholly owned by BYD"

 

[Uygar]

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

I think the grille might be a bit more angular maybe based on the camo. And the tail lights slimmer. But I think this is kind of close?

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

I hope the grille isn't that massive.

 

[Uygar]

I think the grille might be a bit more angular maybe based on the camo. And the tail lights slimmer. But I think this is kind of close?

I can’t tell if it’s gonna have E-Class type of layout where the grille and headlights are placed in a black piece, or it’s gonna be the same just with a bigger grille and different bumpers. Camo is fooling us at the moment.

 

[Uygar]

I hope the grille isn't that massive.

Spy shots suggest otherwise.

 

[Jacke]

You did a better job on the upcoming 7 series im thinking why you didnt do as a good job on the S Class… it looks more fakeish, while the 7 looked bang on as if it was posted by BMW themselves

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

Spy shots suggest otherwise.

Its bigger, but not THAT much bigger. And yeah, it does look a bit more angular than the previous grille. And the headlights are bigger.

 

[Uygar]

Its bigger, but not THAT much bigger. And yeah, it does look a bit more angular than the previous grille. And the headlights are bigger.

Considering how big of a grille the GLC EV is getting, this is normal for an S-Class imo. But like I said, the outlines in the spy shots suggest a much taller grille. It’s the same width though, just got stretched.
You’re right about the headlights though. They look bigger than the pre-FL.

 

[Uygar]

You did a better job on the upcoming 7 series im thinking why you didnt do as a good job on the S Class… it looks more fakeish, while the 7 looked bang on as if it was posted by BMW themselves

Cause I sketched that 7er myself mate. This is just AI rendering that was done with my prompts. I just added the star shaped DRL’s with photoshop.

 

[Jacke]

Cause I sketched that 7er myself mate. This is just AI rendering that was done with my prompts. I just added the star shaped DRL’s with photoshop.

Ookay,i understand now.

When you have some free time can you try to do the S too

 

[Uygar]

Ookay,i understand now.

When you have some free time can you try to do the S too

I will actually.

 

[klier]

Spy shots suggest otherwise.

No way they're going to just randomly put the license plate half on the grille like that.
I think the grille will be a bit smaller than this.

 

[Uygar]

No way they're going to just randomly put the license plate half on the grille like that.
I think the grille will be a bit smaller than this.

I mean when you really focus on these images you can see the outlines of the grille peeking through the camo.

I also believe that since the headlights got bigger, they will house both grille and headlights in a one single piece like the E-Class and V-Class
That way it will flow beautifully with the rest of the car imo.
Like a mix between EQ and regular models.

 

[Uygar]

Here’s the sketch of how I think it might look.

 

[Rolf]

Here’s the sketch of how I think it might look.

I do like your interpretation of the modern look for the S-class. with the larger grill and sharp swept back lights, makes it look more sleek but also alot more majestic than the current pre FL W223.