Dla członków WP

fertieg18

paul: well, i don’t much like the current s-class…and the new cls even less. it’s too blingy. they just don’t look that classy or exceptional anymore. when it’s hard to tell a benz from a hyundai at first glance, you know the automotive world has really changed. the thrill is gone,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], at least for me.
let me take a picture of you in front of the renault twizy. could you imagine one of those in the states?
the press says that mercedes’ styling boss gorden wagener is re-defining the company’s products and wants mercedes to have “more emotional design”. but what does that mean, exactly? why are faux-heritage bulges around the rear wheels emotional? where exactly is the emotion in having creases everywhere? it just looks busy and confused to me. i’d call it “tired and emotional” design, if you’ll allow me to use the british expression for being inebriated. i think the gordenized mercedes are a product of some misunderstanding that dr dieter picked up in detroit, to wit: that when you make something blingy, when you make it badass, you are making it emotionally attractive to the new hedonists – the boomers who are in the position to lease expensive and unpractical cars. that may be, but it kills the brand for all the rest of us.
paul: agreed. the lowly and fairly clean c-class may be the most successful current mercedes, looks-wise. but the world is changing: mercedes once appealed to those that wanted the very finest-built automobile, whether that was a luxury car or a durable four-cylinder diesel. that market has disappeared, leaving mb to chase new ones. can you imagine someone wanting to stretch themselves financially to buy a cls because they planned to keep it for twenty years?
martin: the thing is, you’ll never know exactly how successful the new cls is. around 70% of this market segment in europe consists of company cars. they’re leased at possibly cut-rate prices to meet sales targets, and only after three or so years do they get dumped at market rates. if somebody has the power to make himself look good, he’ll push volume. you might get a massive write-off at some point,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but they won’t say “we are posting losses because our cars haven’t been selling,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], because they look sucky”.
martin: i think it’s just a kind of tragedy. the previous cls was an interesting and new take on “how to make a car for midlife-crisis guys with money who don’t want a sports car”. it created a new segment – the kinda-practical coupé. is the new one better-looking in any way? i’d say, no: the new cls just shows how lost the company is. it has an oddly aggressive, insectoid face and all kinds of odd and hectic creases in places that could use some quiet.