It will happen just a matter of time.

Without the quality advantage Lexus will be useless. If anyone can beat them it probably would only be Mercedes.

My CLS 350 is just perfect. Superior to Lexus in every way and it has character too, something the Japanese can’t engineer into their cars.

Just cut the ML and they are there.

the south african c classes aren’t up to much

The new ML is quite good. The image of the previous one does let it down but thats something they will have to fight

I guess miracles are possible.

Or even rename it GML

Mr Oblong ain’t got a clue what he is talking about. Mercedes will do it no problem and then take BMW and Audi with them . This time in 5 years Lexus would probably be dead

Cadillac will wipe the floor with all of them and look better than chintzy Japcrap and German crap doing it. In 5 years, Lexus will be a topic for the History Channel and the headlines for the papers will read

“Germany to leave Auto Industry due to increasing popularity of Rival Cadillac”

“Performance and quality of Cadillac is unworldly”

“German brands lack style, substance and reliability of Cadillac”

Followed by a 3 page ad for Audi, Mercedes and BMW offering blowout deals just to move their garbage

Mike we know that’s you

Anonymous- whatever your smokeing to come up with all these crazy comments, send some to the GM Design Department. The only thing that is going to save GM is some out of the box thinking/creativity and your stuff may be just the thing to spark that….

Stuart……are you on crack? Listen to yourself you moron. LOL…You sound like an 8-year old defending his favorite baseball player. Lexus dead? LOL!!! Did you even read the article? Lexus is well on their way to achieving its sales goal for Europe. By then, Lexus will be prevelant and it will be long before Mercedes erases the bad stigma.

“Without the quality advantage Lexus will be useless…”….REALLY Mohammed??? Are you saying Lexus is a genius for building quality in their vehicles or Mercedes being too stupid to forget a little something called “quality”??? Or both??? Lexus was recently established and look at them now. Mercedes has been around for how long??? And they’re playing catch-up??? ……smells like the big-3 situation to me.

#11, I second that

on subject…i would love to see MB get into the quality game. Personally, my favorite German luxury brand is Audi. i think there styling is way ahead of anyone else on the market right now. and if possible i would like the interior guys over at Audi to come furnish my house cause they seem to know exactly what to do. MB has some good looking cars, but i think they need to get a more sporty edge to the cars. They cars cant compete against the Audi’s RS and BMW M. also some better distinction between models, more then just size and a diff part of the alphabet..Good Luck MB

i would love to see MB get into the quality game. Personally, my favorite German luxury brand is Audi. i think there styling is way ahead of anyone else on the market right now. and if possible i would like the interior guys over at Audi to come furnish my house cause they seem to know exactly what to do. MB has some good looking cars, but i think they need to get a more sporty edge to the cars. They cars cant compete against the Audi’s RS and BMW M. also some better distinction between models, more then just size and a diff part of the alphabet

My next door neighbor just took delivery of a blue RS4, swapped his M3 for it. He’s an idiot but the car is awesome.

My new S550 is MUCH MUCH better than the previous S500 I had, and I can say Mercedes is heading to a very good future. The Best car I’ve ever had. Please note that my S550 feels better than my father’s 2004 Bentley Arnage.

Just warm air until it actually happens.

To #16: (bit offtopic)- If you have seen BBCs Top Gear episode featuring the RS4 you know why anyone would trade in their M3 for it. RS4 is faster, drives better (cornering etc.) and looks better.
Only competition to the RS4 in that segment will be the all new M3 released later this year (probably).

To #9: What planet are you on? At the moment the European carmakers as for instance Audi, BMW and Mercedes are way ahead of the American competition and it doesn’t look like that this will be changing in the near future. With a little luck GM and others will still be there in 10 years or so and not to many jobs will be sacrificied to keep the companies going…

Wait, i’m confused. Mercedes to beat Lexus? What the hell? When did Lexus pass up Mercedes? I thought Mercedes was top dog in the foreign luxary segment, then BMW then Audi then Jag then Lexus then Infinity then Acura. Its been that way ever since the history of history. Right?

Cadillac? What the hell are you smokin dude? Caddy aint got **** on Benz! Caddys are just rebadged, overrated Buicks! Cadillac sucks! Benz rules!

The problem with better quality is that they (MB) still has to deal with a huge hurdle: electronics, which is the largest kink in their amour.

Jon.

kink you mean chink surely?

A lot of people in the industry think “catching up” is enough. This assumes that Toyota isn’t going to be competing against themselves in the interim. This is a faulty belief.

There is no way in hell they will do this inside of 10 years. 15 years, maybe, if they really get their statistical control in order. Maybe sooner, if they outsource manufacturing to Toyota.

They are joining a baseball game that Toyota has been playing for 40 years.

Mercedes has been making extremely reliable cars in the past and the drop in quality didn’t occur until the mid-late 90’s, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to retake their spot at the top of the list.

#26……that was because “reliable” was a different term back then…because cars were expected to break down and have issues. Mercedes did not have a drop in quality. They were just being compared to Lexus, which seemed like a drop. All Lexus did was redefine Reliable and Quality. If it wasn’t for Lexus, Mercedes (along with the rest) would not have been forced to be better.

Seth loved you on the O.C. You should have gone to Brown

do you guys really think toyota will let merc beat them on quality?i dont think so,maybe merc will be able to become a close second

doug you can only get so good with quality then character becomes a bigger selling point and there the Japanese lose out because their cars have no soul.

I own a mercede and it ain’t that reliable compare to Toyota. But I’m glad they’re admitting it. New style of theirs are crappy imo. I like the blue tec diesel idea tho. Neway, mercede ain’t reliable compare to lexus/toyota.

#31 love your sense of humor ” I own a mecede..ain’t….Neway” pmsl

Toyota does need to start creating designs that attract buyers without pulling out the Quality card. Eventually, build quality will improve across all manufacturers to the point it becomes nominal. Toyota would be smart to redesign their vehicles to create some desire.

Imagine how many people would buy a Toyota Camry or Corolla if it even just looked like an Aston Martin Rapide or MB CLS. It wouldn’t even have to handle or have the power of one. They wouldn’t be able to keep them on the lots for even $35K.

these guys don’t have a chance

Stuart = Nazi

We don’t need any of your underhand racist, anti-Japanese ranting here.

Stuart proves that the Ugly American doesn’t stand alone, there are plenty of Ugly Euro’s as well.

Most of the reason Europeans and Brits have resisted Lexus vehicles is because of, well, essentially, racism. That’s a strong word, but it’s basically the perception that anything from Asia must be chintzy, cheaply-built crap. They’re also more hung up on “class” than the American market, which basically comes down to your personal attachments to the brand name, and has nothing to do with the vehicle itself.

I personally prefer BMWs and Mercs to Lexuses because I prefer a firmer ride, heavier steering, and a greater sense of involvement. But most luxury-car buyers like to be isolated from the road, and would likely enjoy a Lexus just as much if they took one for a drive. Paying $15,000 more for a Euro brand, if you don’t appreciate the sportier driving characteristics, is a lot like paying a premium to wear “designer”–it’s all about hang-ups with class and brand name.

Will Mercedes be able to match Lexus quality in ten years? Maybe. But it’s not likely. Mercedes’ troubles have largely been with electrical equipment and accessories, according to CR, and demand for new and better electrical features is only going to increase. I’d personally like to see them succeed in this goal, as I love the way Mercs drive (particularly the C-Class), but it’s just as likely that they’ll have to keep relying on national prejudice and perceptions of a classier image.

- P.J.
motoralley.com

so being anti-japanese is nazi all of a sudden? so i guess the whole world is being racist for being anti-american. oh wait, racism is a bit different.

On the second read, I don’t see anything remotely racist in Stuarts post. I don’t see what you guys are all fuming about. He is just stating the truth that the Japanese are having a hard time trying to crack the European market. It was easy in America because there were no good cars there in the first place. Europe, it’s a bit different.

Ke, you’re actually right (for once) that the whole world is idiotic for being anti-American. I never said that wasn’t true. Just because I support the Japanese doesn’t mean I don’t support America. Although that’s what YOU think, since you’re probably a flag-draping jingo. The reason why Stuart is suspicious is because he doesn’t mind the American car companies or the Euro car companies, but he hates the Japanese car companies. That’s suspect. If the Japanese were Caucasian, that wouldn’t be an issue.

The word I used was “racist” and not “idiotic”. There is a difference there. Stop shifting goal posts. Americans are equally guilty of being racist towards mexicans, muslims and the french.

There is nothing wrong with hating Japanese companies. People want different cars. Some want reliability (most Americans) and will go with the Japanese cars. Some ( some Americans and most of the rest of the world) want an ultimate driving machine with soul. Unfortunately, all that the Japanese can muster is lackluster reliability record breakers. They have no soul at all. If a car doesn’t have a soul, it won’t sell well in Europe even if it’s reliable. This is why french and italian cars still sell even though they break down every mile.

well,you guys can keep europe, cause toytota,honda,nissan or even hyundai will own the biggest market in the world-CHINA

Mercedes can do all they want to match or beat Lexus, but they have a hell of a way to go before they match Cadillac IMO. They don’t have enough money or talent to do that so they might as well just close up shop today

How is Mercedes years and years ahead of Lexus? Are you comparing the all-new S class with the outgoing Lexus LS? Not a fair comparison, let’s wait and see if the new Lexus LS is a good alternative to the S550 before we make assumptions. As for the lack of soul statement, I wholeheartedly agree. German cars do have a lot more soul and are definitely driver’s cars, whereas Japanese luxury cars tend to be more like quiet living rooms on wheels.

It would be cool to see Mercedes get their mojo back… The solid, hefty, built like a Brick ****house feel that you get from a MB to this day, does not exist in the Lexus cars. Not that Lexus cars are bad, just that they feel light and fragile compared to a comparable Benz.

Have you guys driven a Lexus? Can you really tell me it feels light and fragile? What Mercedes-Benz are you driving to compare to what fragile Lexus? A Lexus IS350 can’t be more solid than a Mercedes-Benz S550. C’mon, stop being ignorant and drive the cars before you yap.

I’m not sure why people are getting so hot and worked up on a personal level about this topic. They’re machines and take you from point A to point B. I’ve had five Benzes and finally sold my most recent one. I couldn’t take any more time from my schedule and patients to return to the dealer to have yet another thing repaired. My SL500 looked great, and drove great, but the trunk wouldn’t open on hot days, the seat heater failed three times, the top was stuck down multiple times, the paint kept coming off parts of the car, and more. My last great MB was my ‘95 S Class. After that, I and too many friends who purchased newer MBs lived to regret it. I now drive a Lexus LS430. It is solid, and not light. It’s comfortable and ergonomic, though somewhat bland. More importantly, I’m not losing money taking it to the dealer for anything other than routine service since it has run without a burp for the past 60K miles. I’d like to trust MB again, as would many friends, but MB has to earn that trust back. As of 2006, new MBs still seem to be falling apart. So my trust isn’t there yet. Maybe someday.

lol!!! Mercedes==quality. Back in the 90’s it was believable but the crap they put out now has worse quality than a Hyundai and its not even close. (look at the JD Power Initial Qualtiy ratings) Merc and the other Germans are pulling what GM and Ford did in the 80’s. Screw quality to increase profits. It’ll hurt them in a few years when all the ignorant yuppies realize that past reputation doesn’t mean anything when their cars aren’t any better than a car a fifth of the price.

Wow, I agree with Rich that people are getting way to worked up about MB and Lexus. I don’t think anyones’ opinions are going to change over a few comments in a blog. I must say though Stuart is incorrect on GM being the biggest market company in China. I believe GM did over took VW as the largest FOREIGN automaker in China but chinese automakers have a much larger portion of the market than foreign makers although I didn’t do any research. Its just what I remember reading.

I’ve driven 3 lexuses…including the SC400, GS 430, and now the IS 350…I love each and everyone of these cars. Although I am a full Toyota/Lexus fan I am not going to deny that Mercedes is a great automobile manufacturer. I will say this though…Throughout the years I have resold each Lexus at a pretty good price. My Mom however had to return her S-Class to the dealership…too many problems. She now drives a LS430 and not a single thing has happened. You can read all the ratings and all will comment that the Lexus Brand is VERY DEPENDABLE….Make your own decisions and never mind downing others for what they decide to drive.