Looks like BMW can take over the reigns.

^^ More like Audi, who is already in the process of drastically expanding their lineup.

Does this also suggest that the SLS reported on LLN the other day is an unlikely possiblility?

Jeez, finally. They have WAY too many models without names; just a letter and a bunch of numbers and it’s kinda confusing.

I agree with Pruce. Pull it back a bit. The CLS is fine to keep, but get rid of the R-Class. Simplify things by making a C-class sedan and coupe, E-class sedan and S-class sedan and coupe. THen have the SLK in there somewhere. And two SUV models.

That should easily cover things. This CL, CLK, CLS, etc stuff has turned into complete madness.

Have you ever tried searching for a late-model used Benz on AutoTrader??? It’s freakin’ impossible with all of those models!! (was looking for a 2005 CLK320 for a while.)

Maybe they’ll concentrate on making their vehicles reliable and somewhat justify their pricing. Or not. But I do agree with diesels – bring ‘em in … now!

Finally, freakin’ a.

It appears ailing Mercedes doesn’t have the funds or the quality control to keep up with the expanding lineup. Good for them to finally admit it. Good for General Motors as there is one less brand that is trying to keep up with them product-product.

Mercedes probably saw GM’s portfolio of award winning vehicles and realized that it was just too difficult a target to hit. And since they are losing money as well as buyers by the hundreds to GM especially Caddy and Buick, they can;t really afford to play in the same ballpark anymore. Maybe this scale back is just the beginning of a full exit from the US market? GM has got them on the run it seems.

It’s about time Mercedes, there are so many letters in the alphabet you can use you know.

Audi only has what? The A3, A4, A6, A8, TT & Q7. So far the only other cars that are in the pipeline are the R8 and the A5. Every other ‘future’ model is conjecture at best.

Jon.

I think that is a very smart move

but please ditch the R and…
Bring the B class!!!!!

yes, bring over that big POS of a B class! poor americans need their almost-there-but-not-really luxury car-oops luxury scion xB!

Seriously GMnumberone…the joke was funny at first, but you’ve been doing this for weeks. It’s old, not funny any longer. Move on. Try something new, like saying Yugo is going to take their place.

btw, in germany people regard mercedes as the car for those who are nearly dead. in a sense then, mercedes is like cadillac. i understand the need to diversify a product line. the B class is for soccer moms btw…

You can always count on GMnumberone4ever retarded comments. This move is a clear statement that Mercedes has all the models it needs to be comfortable in the status they currently hold, which is the premier luxury brand. Cadillac may be improving its models but its still way off producing cars with questionable build quality. Audi is expanding to compete w/ BMW and MB who have a great deal more models. FYI Cadillac is not expanding at all. They are updating current models only. I could say they cannot afford to keep up w/ MB and its extended model line up. But thats not true at all. They are just lame. They had a chance when they were number one in the 60’s & 70’s. The reality is they were complacent producing pieces of ****, and when you do that you get tagged w/ a stigma. A stigma which has stuck to all of the American autos. I am bias towards imports, why? Because they have proven to build a better car. They are only now pulling their heads out of their asses, however thats not going to be able to save them. They are now competing w/ well established imports that have AA credit and brand recognition. They need a few decades of solid winners to be classified as “Standard of the world” and not produce POS like the previous gen CTS or current DTS. LOL rent a DTS and tell me you wont get sick. Literally, i did.

6ix – just ignore it… don’t feed it…. it will fade away.

gsh, I usually enjoy your posts, but I don’t think you’re right about this.

the B is not a luxury car, nor was it ever meant to be. It’s a versatile, gas friendly, people mover, with highlights of interesting technology.

Everyone is entitled to opinions, obviously… but there are many more cars that I would call a POS before I’d think of the B as one.

thank god someone sees diesels as the way for america.

Yeah, I talked to a guy yesterday that drove a diesel rabbit. 50+ miles to the gallon! In the early 80s! He picked the car up on ebay for about 2k. Said he just didn’t want to spend 20-30k and then 10K for batteries in 10 years. I hope the diesels take off as well. I’d like to see some of these new bluetecs get 40+ in these bigger MBs. Talk about a selling point.

Wow. Look at the power of these boards. I can’t remember who but someone has been calling for this for weeks. Good job on persistence.

btw edgarp- though the B class may be all of those things Mercedes has cultivated an image of luxury in the US. So while it can do those things , in the US, it must first be luxurious or it’s gonna fail.

Gsh – so what is the cool luxury car in Germany? BMW?

Jon–

Audi already DEFINATELY has the A3, A4, A5, A6, A8, TT, Q7, R8, and I believe has confirmed plans for a Q5, maybe a Q3, an R4 and i guess thats it. But thats a lot of niches. 3 SUVs, 3 sports cars, 5 different sizes of road cars/sedans. I dont know, seems like a lot to me.

BMW on the other hand has the 3er, the 5er, th 6er, the 7er, the X3 and X5, and the Z4, with plans only for updating those cars and a new Z, which may just be a replacement for the Z4.

Correct me if i’m wrong.

edgarp – yes you may be right, but IF the b class comes to america, it be will “luxurified” just like the C, E, and R class. the E class comes in cloth seats and is available with the some of the worlds smallest diesels. calling the C class a luxury car is a joke, perhaps thats why the term “near-luxury” was made for this class of cars, even in the US. but you gotta hand it to the mercedes dealers in the US for keeping this image up for so long.

to be honest you rarely see any of the powerful engines that are so common in the US (LA itself has a crazy # of V12 and W12s runnings around). seeing an E500 in southern germany is pretty rare. in fact ive never seen an S class with an engine bigger than the 3.5L V6. cool luxury car in germany? there are none, people cant afford them. most expensive thing ive seen was an M5. im sure its different in Berlin..

I think that engineers prevail in Audi/MB/BMW and they can’t seem to pass by a chance to show off their abilities and technologies in a market, to the point that they push around the bean counters. The Japanese are the same, but there always seems to be a business case behind it and they tend not to fail.

gsh. I couldn’t agree more with you on that! great point.

In fact, you hit it head on. What I didn’t realize is that you are coming from a European perspective on how cars are marketed, packaged, and driven in the US… and I totally agree. I didn’t have a good grasp of WHY you said that, and now I totally understand.

Jazz… you are completely right too. Marketing is everything here. I don’t know how well the B would sell… but I would definitely consider one if I was in the market (and they were available).

I think a problem they have is that within each vehicle class they have a myriad of variations. Like the multiple S-Class Mercedes Benz offers compared to Lexus who offer just one LS.

i have a feeling that this news is all bull****, Benz has been coming out with so many different concepts that i think they will find it difficult to throw away all of their recent work. I say another 3 or so new cars will be released before they give up their love for diluting their brand.

Bamf:

BMW upcoming completely new additional models in the next 2 years:

1er 3dr (Spring 2007)
2er cabrio (Fall 2007)
X6 Sports Activity Coupe (Winter / Early fall 2008)
2er coupe (mid 2008)
F5 Sports Tourer (spring 2009)

Coming after 2009: Z8/Z9 roadster, Z2 roadster, F3 Sports Tourer, X4 SAC, 1er sedan, 8er / 9er big 4dr coupe

A4: agreed. This is a great move, Daimler-Chrysler!

enough with the alphabet explosion!

The B class looks like a sweet ride for what it is. Similar in dimensions as the Mazda 5. I sat in it at the LA auto show. Very nice indeed. Huge utility, small so you get good MPG. I think the B class would be a nice move for MB. And of course it would be worthy of a entry level Benz here in the states down the line. I say that because BMW, and MB have a tendency to release new models stripped here in the states. Take the original ML. The interior was very sub par, Take the original X5 and X3. Again very subpar. I looked at buying a original X3 and opted not to because the interior was baaad. They fixed it tho! I now own one.

BAMF,

>>Audi already DEFINATELY has the A3, A4, A5, A6, A8, TT, Q7, R8, and I believe has confirmed plans for a Q5, maybe a Q3, an R4 and i guess thats it.

I hope they do a U-Turn and start dropping cars starting with the R then the A,B,CLK,GLK

when is the D-class going to be made

good, they are over doing it. keep them classy not mass produced.