Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
Umm, why? Mercedes-Benz is not a charity, they have no obligation to sell their products cheaply.
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As Mercedes cars and trucks in SoCal have sat on the dealer lots for months, as well as populated a good portion of the San Pedro ports, it's more likely Mercedes Benz will wish for "charitable" consumers to buy their dusted-over product. "Charity" is in the money-holders, and these days, that is not Mercedes-Benz.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
Even if the actual cost to produce an ML and Mountaineer is the same (which I doubt), Mercedes is an upscale luxury product that costs more money.
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Mercedes is upscale [U]how? When it offers a C-series for $30K, which is about the same as any other car of its sort on the market? Is cloth and/or fake leather seating on some models upscale? "Upscale" means one does not compete with modestly-priced product or use cheap materials. Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc., is upscale, specifically because they have nothing to do with Toyota, Nissan, Ford, etc., and use real leather in their vehicles. Why does Mercedes cost more money? Maybe because Mercedes is overpriced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
They will sell their products for as much as possible.
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Not in Britain:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1367268/Consumer-power-forces-Mercedes-to-cut-prices-by-20pc.html
From Sept 1, buyers will be able to save £9,940, or 21 per cent, on the Mercedes E430 Elegance saloon, which will retail at £38,390. The S500 limousine's list price will be cut by 20 per cent, down from £74,040 to £59,440. Buyers will also be able to save £1,700, or 12 per cent, on Mercedes's new small car, the A140 Classic, whose £12,790 price tag will make it the cheapest new Mercedes on the road to date. Across the range, prices will fall by an average nine per cent.
And I'm sure soon, not in the U.S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
Of course, it's a silly comparison because a Mountaineer is not a competitor to an ML. Good luck finding a Mercedes customer that cross-shops Mercury. Further, go drive both of them, I doubt you'll find the Mercury equal to the Mercedes.
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First of all, I own
both a Mountaineer and an ML - both of which are current models. One drives as fine as the other within the realm of what they're supposed to do - that is drive. The Mountaineer is actually
much better with interior hauling, as it has a larger interior. It also seats more passengers. It has every single amenity the ML has. Performance is the same, handling is the same. Gas mileage is the same, except for The ML-320 diesel which is higher, but also costs more than the gasoline version.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
A more valid comparison would be between an ML built in an American plant vs in Germany.
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Why would that be at all a valid comparison for someone who wants an SUV built in America by Americans, which
is the point of my reply on this thread? Again, the ML is no better than the Mountaineer in almost every respect, so why does the ML cost more? Is it overpriced? Is it because it's a luxury brand as if the Mountaineer is not? (Lincoln-Mercury is, of course, the luxury brand of Ford). The ML is made by Americans in America, and does nothing better than the Mountaineer, yet is $10-20K + more between the standard level of both models.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
But again, why would Mercedes sell them at a discount if they are still selling? Lower costs equals more profit, which is pretty much the point of any business.
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1) They aren't "still" selling - not very well, at least.
2) Lower costs equals more profits is not a luxury brand philosophy. If Mercedes subscribes to lower costs equals more profits, how can you still call them a luxury brand?
So what's the real point here? The Big 3 get smothered and compromised, potentially go out of business, and we as consumers get stuck paying even
higher prices for product that isn't that much better? If true, Mercedes better rethink their philosophy in the American market.
As is, they've already rethought their assembly line output in Alabama:
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/11/mercedes-to-cut-production-of-m-class.html