Why the rebadging on US models?
I don't know why that is so hard to accept here. It isn't as if they just pulled "550" out of thin air, that is actually what the car should be called.
Debadging of a car completely like they do in Europe has nothing to do with this.
M
Last edited by Germancar1; Mar 17, 2009 at 10:34 AM.

The 600, 65, and 63 models all arrived prior to 2008 so of course they aren't going to change the S600 to S550 which is what it would be since the V12 is 5.5L in size. Then you'd have two cars badged 550, that would make no sense.
Dude I suggest you join us in 2009, nobody even has a VCR anymore.
M

By the way I have a number of American friends that have high end HD-VHS VCR's from the likes of JVC & Mitsubishi. Not quite extinct yet. Aproaching that - Yes.
The 600, 65, and 63 models all arrived prior to 2008 so of course they aren't going to change the S600 to S550 which is what it would be since the V12 is 5.5L in size. Then you'd have two cars badged 550, that would make no sense.
Dude I suggest you join us in 2009, nobody even has a VCR anymore.
M
as of 2008 ONLY the US market has the C300, S550, SLK300 while the rest of the world has C280, SLK280, and S500. It's purely marketing from MBUSA's end trying to make the car more recognizable base on each car's relative performance while the rest of the world DON'T CARE!
what you are saying about the 600, 63, and 65 that they couldn't change the name is completely false. WHY? because the R171 SLK280 name got changed to SLK300 when the facelift came. MBUSA could've easily change the 63 to 62 on the R230 with the second facelift, but they didn't do it. You can believe whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is all the badging MBUSA decides to put on cars are purely for US marketing strategy.
only in US we are brain washed to think that S-class only has long wheel base as well.
Last edited by FrankW; Mar 17, 2009 at 07:27 PM.
M
as of 2008 ONLY the US market has the C300, S550, SLK300 while the rest of the world has C280, SLK280, and S500. It's purely marketing from MBUSA's end trying to make the car more recognizable base on each car's relative performance while the rest of the world DON'T CARE!
what you are saying about the 600, 63, and 65 that they couldn't change the name is completely false. WHY? because the R171 SLK280 name got changed to SLK300 when the facelift came. MBUSA could've easily change the 63 to 62 on the R230 with the second facelift, but they didn't do it. You can believe whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is all the badging MBUSA decides to put on cars are purely for US marketing strategy.
only in US we are brain washed to think that S-class only has long wheel base as well.
Who said that MBUSA had anything over MB headquarters in Germany? Why does it have to be that extreme? You don't think MBUSA has a say in Germany? Apparently they have say otherwise the factory wouldn't badge S550s on the same line with S500s. MBUSA would just change the model designation at the port.
Who said the rest of the world cares? Again, matterless. This is about the U.S. market.
Why would they change the 600 cars to their true displacement? That wouldn't make any sense. Then you'd have a V8 S550 and a V12 S550 since both the V8 and the V12 are 5.5L. This is common sense.
You can believe whatever you want also, but the fact is that they are calling the cars what they are, most if not all. That is how Mercedes did it from the start.
Apparently you're lost in your own marketing loop because changing the badge to reflect the actual displacement is what they've done originally! How in the world is that purely marketing when it is accurate? Makes no sense.
Again, for the 5th time.....the 63 cars and their badges are marketing, won't deny that. I'm talking about MBUSA's decision to clean up the regular models.
Would you like a V8 S550 or a V12 S550 sir? How ridiculous would that be? Thats what you'd have if they re-badged the S600.
Who here doesn't know that the S-Class comes in SWB also? The previous 2 S-Classes (W140 and W220) were both offered in SWB here at some point during their respective model runs.
M
Last edited by Germancar1; Mar 18, 2009 at 01:32 AM.
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