The brand wants to slim down its range.
Mercedes is changing a lot of things that were formerly considered staples of the brand's identity. For starters, the recently-revealed C-Class will not be offered with any six-cylinder engines. EVs are now where the German automaker's focus lies, and with exciting new offerings like the EQC proving that EVs can avoid being intimidating, there's no reason for the brand to put so much of its resources into traditional offerings. This includes drop-tops/cabriolets/convertibles and coupes, and although there's a new SL cabrio on the way, Mercedes won't be proliferating its range with the two-door body style as much as before.
Speaking with Autocar, Mercedes' Chief Operating Officer Markus Schafer said: "We reached a portfolio of close to 50 vehicles last year, and there's more to come on the electric side with our EQ line-up... Some of [our models] got quite narrow [in terms of market] so we want to really focus on a portfolio that's more precise and consumer-oriented. So we're doing some significant shifts in our line-up, portfolio and shape of vehicles."
He went on to explain that the brand has a very high density of coupes and cabriolets with the C-Class, E-Class, and SLC at the moment, but with the market eschewing these offerings more and more frequently, continually offering cars that people aren't buying makes no sense.
But this does not spell the end of the cabrio with the three-pointed star. "We will not give up the segment because it's very important to use as a brand-shaper, but maybe in a more limited offering." Essentially, what this means is that the luxury automaker will continue to offer these body styles, but with more emphasis on luxury and tech in the future.
Cabrios and coupes will be more exclusive and will appeal to a specific section of the market, in contrast to the saturated offering currently available. Maybe cars like the AMG GT-R Roadster will live on, but these will feel more special in the future, and that can only be a good thing.
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Automobili Pininfarina
Bentley
BMW
Bollinger
BrightDrop
Bugatti
Buick
Cadillac
Caterham
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ferrari
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Genesis
GMC
Gordon Murray Automotive
Hennessey
Honda
Hyundai
Ineos Automotive
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Karma
Kia
Koenigsegg
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Lordstown
Lotus
Lucid Motors
Maserati
Mazda
McLaren
Mercedes-Benz
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pagani
Polestar
Porsche
Ram
Rimac
Rivian
Rolls-Royce
Spyker
Subaru
Tesla
Toyota
VinFast
Volkswagen
Volvo
Join The Discussion