motor

Sir_GT · 03-19-2005, 12:28 AM

This is sort of old news, but I didn't come across it here, so I thought I would post it anyway.

Original article could be found here.

Mercedes-Benz skids close to the red

Mercedes’ profits collapsed to just £12m in the final three months of 2004, the lowest level in the past decade, according to financial reports. City analysts fear that the once-bullet proof brand could actually swing into loss in the first part of 2005.

Mercedes is now paying the price, say commentators, for a decline in quality and reliability. The brand abandoned no-compromise engineering in the early 1990s as company chiefs embarked on a massive expansion of the model range that now stretches from the A-class to the Maybach limo. The firm is also struggling with Smart, which is still running up substantial losses.

Eckhard Cordes, boss of Mercedes’ automotive division, has insisted that the firm’s problems were mostly electrical, rather than more fundamental engineering problems. It’s widely believed the maker has been damaged by vehicles such as the M-class off-roader and the previous-generation E-class, which have gained a reputation for unreliability.

Sales have been sliding recently, although 2005 and 2006 will see a burst of new models, including the R-class, M-class and new S-class.

Mercedes has also registered the GLK name, which is expected to feature on a BMW X3 rival based on the 4wd C-class.

I could post a link to BMW and Audi's current sales successes for good measure, but I think the article speaks for itself.

Mercs = rubbish.

666fast · 03-19-2005, 01:09 AM

I could post a link to BMW and Audi's current sales successes for good measure, but I think the article speaks for itself.

Mercs = rubbish.

I agree, Mercs=rubbish. I've been saying it for sometime now! LOL
BMW is the only real contender, as Audi seems to be stuck in the "almost great" category. Maybe with Merc sliding downhill so damn much, Audi will pick up some sales. Audi first needs to do something about their terrible re-sale values.

The article doesn't surprise me, it's been coming for sometime. Merc's unreliability is nothing new, but instead of fixing it, they cranked out more products, which themselves weren't that great. With one being a glaring mistake, the holier than thou Maybach. They marketed the damn thing right at Celebrities, who need the latest great thing to make themselves seem important. It was only a matter of time untill it dropped off the radar.
Who cares about the Maybach now? Nobody, thats who.

SilviaEvo · 03-19-2005, 02:10 AM

BMW>MERC

ZfrkS62 · 03-19-2005, 02:22 AM

Examples: A Mercedes tech just finish re-ringing the engine on an ML because it was burning off 2 qts of oil within 1200 miles. It's been doing this since it was at 40,000 miles, and it's at 60,000 now.

The S classes are notorious for blowing out their air springs and going into a lowrider like stance where the front wheels are sucked into the fenders.

I've seen 2 E classes roll in with blown out sunroofs because the pressure inside the car increases and the air inside expands when it gets hot and blows out the sunroof.

MBW124 · 03-19-2005, 02:23 AM

It's sad to know that Mercedes hasn't been the same since the merge.

This is why I definately love my old Merc because the built quality is superb and can't be beat. Everyone on the car is high quality german parts. And now...all the parts are just rubbish on the new cars. Long live the W124.

5vz-fe · 03-19-2005, 03:50 AM

I wonder that fall in sales have anything to do with their results in F1 last year :roll:

Akmon · 03-19-2005, 04:00 AM

I can't think Mercedes is going down!
But I remember the notorious problems the E class and the A class had too.
Now,my question is?Do we really want Mercedes to go down?
I think they still have the power of making some great cars!

blah · 03-19-2005, 04:28 AM

Originally Posted by MBW124

It's sad to know that Mercedes hasn't been the same since the merge.

This is why I definately love my old Merc because the built quality is superb and can't be beat. Everyone on the car is high quality german parts. And now...all the parts are just rubbish on the new cars. Long live the W124.

you on mbworld?

I highly doubt Mercedes will go down. Especially with the launch of the new S, G, and ML classes coming. 2005 will see profits rise. Also Diamler in general is making some good money with Chryslers 300, Dodges magnum, and dakota, and new neon coming out.

MBW124 · 03-19-2005, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by blah

Originally Posted by MBW124

It's sad to know that Mercedes hasn't been the same since the merge.

This is why I definately love my old Merc because the built quality is superb and can't be beat. Everyone on the car is high quality german parts. And now...all the parts are just rubbish on the new cars. Long live the W124.

you on mbworld?

I highly doubt Mercedes will go down. Especially with the launch of the new S, G, and ML classes coming. 2005 will see profits rise. Also Diamler in general is making some good money with Chryslers 300, Dodges magnum, and dakota, and new neon coming out.

why yes I am.

What's your member name over there?

23790554 · 03-19-2005, 08:32 AM

oh well

23790554 · 03-19-2005, 08:32 AM

oh well

Sir_GT · 03-19-2005, 11:24 AM

Believe it or not, I used to be a very big fan of Mercedes. I was fortunate enough to grow up around them (My grandfather was a Mercedes enthusiast, and my father ended up a petrol-head as well, and so I'm sort of carrying a family tradition), and I have seen where they used to stand, and where they are now, (My father still has my grandfather's pristine 280SL, and the other Mercs were handed down to my uncles and aunts.) and believe me, they are nothing but a shell of their former self.

Mercedes used to be the brand that people would aspire to own when they hit it big, or before they win the lottery and buy a Rolls-Royce, whichever came first. Everytime Mercedes came out with a new model, it was almost like an event. Their GT's were the stuff of legend. Wide, low, luxurious, and nearly unbreakable. They had engines that would last for decades, let alone years. When you would open the door of a Mercedes, the scent of the leather would just grace your nostrils, beckoning you to sit in, and when you gave in to the temptation, it felt like you had to take the car home, no matter what the cost.

Now... sit in a basic E-class and you smell... cloth. Cheap cloth. You run your fingers over the dashboard... plastic. You drive it and it feels... generic. You try to change gears on their automatics... it doesn't want to listen. A month old, and one of the rear brake LEDs die out. Crikey, you think, is this what I paid £30-odd grand for? So you walk into the dealer six months after for a trade in, and then they tell you that you've just lost 7 grand on it.

Imagine. A Mercedes loses 7 thousand british sterling of it's value in 6 months. That's about a few grand over 10 thousand dollars. For that kind of money, you would've SAVED money if your house had been broken in and robbed instead.

Still. You persevere and try to convince yourself that not all is lost. You've still got a three pointed star glistening brightly on the peak of your hood. A sense of regal finally, you think.

Then suddenly, as you pull up to the stop light. A mercedes Vaneo van pulls up alongside you, being driven by a fat, smelly, tatooed, overweight driver, in a sleeveless top, smoking a cigarette with the windows down, then he spits.

The glory of the three pointed star? Sod it. It's gone. Completely eroded by the "new" company's twisted policies. Gone is the Mercedes Benz I grew up with. Now we have Mercedes Bent. Nothing more than a shadow of what they used to be.

Blah. Things change as they say. Now BMW's king, and Audi is becoming the "new BMW". Why is BMW going from strength to strength? Because they have a clear vision of who they are, and what the company stands for. They are out to build the best driving machine available, a feat which they have accomplished time and time again. Audi wants to prove that they are a technological/engineering marvel, and they are going to great lengths to do so. Will Mercedes ever regain their former glory? Only if they remember who they really are... or were... the -former- makers of the world's finest automobiles.

Cheers.

MercedeSChink · 03-19-2005, 12:15 PM

sigh...another thread on mercedes flaming...i must say, being a merc fan all my life, it is sad to see merc go down like this...

blah · 03-19-2005, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by everso

every company goes through cycles of bad and good. no big deal.

you all are talking like MB is finished...LOL. It's just temporary. MB still build fine cars....just cos they can't run fast laps on a track doesn't mean anything. For long distance cruising, i still can't think of a better way to do it then a big ass Mercedes

MB will always be more prestigious than BMW or Audi.....no matter what those 2 companies do. MB was the inventor of the modern automobile...and it's here to stay. Like Blah said, Chrysler is just starting to pick up profits, and MB is announcing several new models in the next year. I think they'll be fine

*cough* but i'll still take an Audi *cough*

BTW, General Motors is a company who is really fucked:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/inde...&sid=175&n=156

My Car list

RS4 for the winter
C55 for daily Driving
M3 for the weekend.

blah · 03-19-2005, 03:13 PM

Also my MBworld name is DancingBenzos whats yours?