Expect to see some major changes in Mercedes' US lineup within the next 12 months.
Since 2000, the number of models Mercedes sells in the US has nearly doubled to 15. Its US lineup is about to further expand with the upcoming launch of the GLB at the end of the year. Earlier this month, dealers attended a national meeting held in Las Vegas to find out more about Mercedes' new boxy crossover. During the same meeting, Mercedes also outlined plans to simplify its lineup and scrap some of its slow-selling models, Automotive News reports.
As we know, the SLC is being retired next year with the Final Edition. Mercedes didn't mention any other specific models that will be getting the axe but did say that more models will be removed from its US lineup within the next 12 months. One dealer added that announcements about these discontinued models could be made in the next 90 days, so we should find out more in the summer.
Which Mercedes models are expected to be killed off then? Automotive News analyzed Mercedes' current range and speculated that the S-Class Coupe and Convertible are likely living on borrowed time since the automaker only sold a combined 2,200 units last year in the US. This would support rumors that Mercedes isn't planning to renew the S-Class Coupe and Convertible for the 2020 model year.
Other models likely to be discontinued in the US include the C-Class Coupe and Convertible since the demand for these models dropped by 25 percent and 31 percent last year respectively. You can thank the unrelenting popularity of SUVs because buyers are favoring the GLE and GLC coupe crossovers over the C-Class and E-Class Coupe and Convertible.
It's not only nameplates that are at risk of being discontinued either, as Mercedes is also planning to reduce the number of trims and engine options across its portfolio. As Automotive News points out, the automaker currently offers nearly 90 models in the US if you factor different engine variants and body styles.
One dealer even compared Mercedes' overcrowded product range to the confusing menu at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. "It's 14 pages, and there's a hundred choices on each of the 14 pages," they said. "I need a Ph.D. to figure out what the hell I want. I just want a chicken Caesar salad." In retrospect, it was only a matter of time before Mercedes had to make these cuts.
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