At any time since Ola Kallenius took over the CEO posture at Mercedes-Benz in 2019, the Swede has been hacking at, pruning, and trimming the company’s composition and model portfolio. Automobile and Driver studies an additional substantial cull is about to start. Immediately after journalist Georg Kacher spoke to Mercedes professionals at two primary locations in Germany, he wrote, “Centered on what we have noticed, of the 33 body models Mercedes at present provides in between Europe and the U.S., only 14 will endure.” As is always the circumstance in these refinements to raise industry share, ROI, and brand name expression, the front-line troopers getting mowed down initial are coupes, convertibles and wagons. A single supervisor advised Kacher, “At the conclude of the day, we only don’t need estate autos [wagons] or underperforming two-doorway offerings to enhance volumes.”
We realized the A-Class is toast, and the C-Class and E-Course coupe and convertible quartet will morph into two vehicles, a CLE-Course coupe and convertible. The CLS-Class has been on dying row for 3 a long time and gets the guillotine in 2024. The AMG GT 4-Doorway has invested fewer than five yrs on the current market and will seemingly abide by the CLS into oblivion in either 2024 or 2025. A new 4-Door will arrive in 2026 run by a battery rather of a massive ol’ honkin’ hybrid V8, accompanied by a battery-electric AMG GT coupe, as nicely as a slightly roomier AMG SL in Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Maybach variants.
Mercedes uncovered the latest GLC final summer season, and the newest GLE a few days in the past. They will get new generations as good 4-door crossovers only as their coupe trims will not be creating the changeover.Â
And Europe can say goodbye to the C-Course wagon in 2028 and the E-Course wagon in 2030. The up coming-gen CLA-Course moves to battery electric power in 2025 and will give the final capturing brake in the lineup. It’s attainable two extra complete product ranges between the B-Class, GLA-Course and GLB-Class will get the axe.
The only market types the brand will tolerate are the types bringing in large funds, the so-called “Top-Conclusion” like Maybach trims and the Mythos run of minimal editions. The customarily dealing with Mercedes versions, known as “Core Luxury,” will aim on high-class relieve for occupants within the motor vehicle as nicely as out with features like more substantial batteries, speedier charging abilities, and for a longer time ranges. Kacher claimed he was advised, “The most critical things of sustainable modern day luxurious automobiles are area and time … That’s our No. 1 precedence — not an additional fancy body design and style, a model that only works in Europe, or a person previous stab at a dying section.”
