El Cid

If haven't heard, MBUSA has a new CEO - Steve Cannon. Hopefully he can do something to improve MB customer service in US. Would be nice if he could improve the quality of the cars, but that has to be done in Germany or Alabama.
Real disappointed in reliability of my car. Makes me wonder what will break next and eventually, how much will it cost me.
"The Best or Nothing" MB either needs to get a new slogan or mean it.
BTW, even MBUSA is admitting that BMW is now selling more than MB. If Lexus dropped their price a little, they could probably be number one.

RNBRAD

You mean MB was outselling BMW? Must of been a certain model for a short period in time. I don't want my car outselling BMW that's for sure.

K-A

Well, M-B is practically the most reliable Luxury/European car manufacturer right now, and the E-Class is Class leading in quality. Look at the 5-Series/BMW Boards if you want to see real problems.

My issue with MBUSA is "lazy" ways to showcase these cars to Americans. In Europe, there are TONS of Options and varieties to choose from and pay up for, while in America, we get the "Fleet Style" approach. All their cars look the same (AMG Package? Not exclusive anymore, everybody gets it for free, thus diminishing its presence), very little Options and aesthetic colors/equipment to choose from, especially interior colors, etc. Very non passionate, while BMW still gives their enthusiasts things to have fun with and take pride in. Also, the joke MSRP prices due to their discounting models 20% like it's nothing, just is a disservice to owners, and creates volatile resale values. It's a short sighted approach, that can hurt the brands reputation in the U.S in the long run.

Who knows why the old guy got replaced, but I say MBUSA can use some changing. As far as customer service, the products, and the Dealers go, I think M-B is top notch, in comparison to competitors (I've heard great things about Lexus' customer service, but Lexus has never begun to entice me). In fact, I actually heard that one of those big "Forbes" like Magazines named MBUSA one of the best companies to work for, with some of the happiest employees in the U.S.

jspira

Are you asking and do you mean Ernst? I suspect the reason isn't really public but I was shocked when I was informed.

Mr Snappy

The old guy had some "issues" with some funds being diverted into his private residence and then placed on a MB expense report....It's readily available out there.

Just read that he is now suing MB for wrongful termination. Expect a settlement so that MB does not have to expose in public it's "dirty laundry"

RSIKR

Correct. I read then story on BenzInsider a couple of months ago. Job performance was not the issue.

grane

The alleged expense report story may have been the straw that broke the back. If they want to move you out they will find something, especially if you don't want to go. The real reason is possibly something else.

El Cid

Historically, MB was the number one selling imported luxury (prestige) car and then Lexus took over and kept it until the unintended acceleration issue. MB and BMW battled for number two, with MB usually coming out on top.
I agree that part of what is attractive about MB is that you don't see one at every traffic light. Ironically, I live about 30 miles from BMW factory and you don't see as many BMW's as you do MB's. But as of today, BMW is number one in sales.
The issue for MB is not necessarily to be number one, but to make sure cars are selling.
Personally I would settle for a good number three position with quality, reliable cars and good customer service at dealership and MBUSA level.
E class may be better than 5 series, but that is not saying much.
Latest reliability data over the long term shows MB dropping back to its former mid-level or lower status. Even E class is now just below average. Not a good place to be.

K-A

It's actually the opposite. If you look at quality trends, M-B's have been moving up since the early 2000's. A lot of what may be keeping M-B at "below average" is the older "Schremmp-era" models that are still selling. Many reports are also showing them as above average, toward the top, and practically at the top of the Luxury makers.




As for sales, I agree that M-B shouldn't be volume focuses, as that's never what it was about for them. However, considering the momentum they lost in the 2000's, when so many owners ditched them for BMW with their Free Maintenance, and Lexus, vowing to never return, they've managed to curb that momentum and bring it back toward them, actually fighting BMW this year for the "top spot". I say, let BMW have it! I'd rather M-B maintain their stronger level of cachet, quality, and focus on just perfecting their core cars, etc.

Many people falsely believe that M-B was ahead of BMW in Sales during the 90's, which was far from true. If you look at this chart from 1995, and then remember that M-B's decade of disaster started shortly after it, it become quite impressive that they're neck and neck with BMW for the "sales crown" this year.

CEB

Interestingly enough, here are the new car registrations for Germany for 2009/2010.

El Cid

K-A. Thanks for the chart. Personally JD Powers IQS doesn't mean much to me. Today, all new cars are practically problem free for first 90 days.
If I understand the other charts, they were completed on cars three years old at the time of survey, e.g. 2007 was ratings of 2004 cars. This does look better for M-B, but still for the price, it should be second only to Lexus.
There are some issues with Consumer Reports surveying methods, but all in all it is a fairly reliable reference. The E class has dropped from above average in 2010 to just below average now. Other M-B vehicles are consistently lower than that. Add to this the cost of repairs on M-B's. Best thing M-B has going for it is that all European cars rate relatively low.
Regardless, I like the cachet of owning a prestige car that is not all that common. But I also want M-B to sell enough cars so they don't have to make all their corporate and dealership and service profits off just a few of us.

krd2023

Now that Mr. Stephen Cannon is leaving MBUSA, does anyone here have information on how MBUSA performed under his CEO tenure? My only attempted interaction with him resulted in me receiving a "cease-and-desist" from MBUSA regarding any further communications with them, as detailed in my forum here: https://mbworld.org/forums/diesel-fo...-seized-6.html

Airmousam

nice to see back when KA was an MB fan!

El Cid

Joseph Michelli wrote a book, Driven to Delight, about the much improved customer service at MBUSA over the past few years. Not sure how much can be attributed to Mr. Cannon, but it has definitely improved.
My experience with customer service at MBUSA has been much better in last few years.
HOWEVER, my MB dealer has provided the interface that made it happen. Just told SA my concerns and it happened with MBUSA paying. This is benefit of using an MB dealer for servicing. Of course, I have an extended warranty, so that helps as well.
Did get a nice 'freebie" form MBUSA customer assistance.
Who's the new CEO and what's his/her background?

konigstiger

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...300195770.html

YYZ-E55

Did you really exceed the service interval by 7000 miles?!

petee1997

These are the sales figures YTD end of Nov.2015. MB 334,728, BMW 311,728. These figures are from Automotive news.

The difference would be much greater but MB is in the changeover from the W212 to W213. Expect the Gap to widen after July 2016 because the first 2017 E class are for Europe.

MB and BMW are now common cars as the both double Cadillac sales. If you want exclusivity, buy a Cadillac.

El Cid

Funny, I see a lot more current model Cadillac cars in my area than MB's and BMW's combined. However, I do think I see more MB and BMW SUV's than Cadillac SUV's.
Not sure late arrival of 2017 "E" to North America will have significant impact ofn MB sales. After all, MBUSA and its dealers are really pushing the "C," CLA and GLA models hard.
According to MBUSA website, address for corporate offices is in Atlanta vs. customer service still in NJ.

Johnny Rad

Without a hi-po awd offering, Caddy's sales will continue to suffer comparatively. Audi and its Quattro awd system forced the hands of BMW and Merc to follow suit. Infiniti and Lexus, too. As I survey current automotive offerings from the comfort of my ezy-boy recliner (read: gut feel), RWD-only is actually the rarer (um, should that be more rare?) offering today.

RWD might've been the only good option for hi-po sedans years ago, but times are changing. RWD might be more pure, but it can also be a deal breaker in certain geographies.

El Cid

Considering all car sales, FWD is probably still the leader. AWD is fine for those that need it, but in many areas of US not so much. Manufacturers and dealers try to sell them as handling better than pure FWD or RWD, but really minimal for most drivers.
Have never wanted a Cadillac and current models have not changed that opinion. I think the low sales for Caddy has less to do with a high power AWD than with it just does not appeal to American people. Cadillac and GM got soft when they had a virtual monopoly on American luxury market and they have never gotten over it.

petee1997

I agree. Cadillac catered to their base for too long and were very slow to build smaller, lighter, high quality vehicles. By the time they woke up, it was too late.

Now, they must find a new customer base among younger buyers. That is quite a challenge. Cadillac does not have an entry level car like the B series or the CLA. Furthermore, trying to get a customer to switch from a German premium car to a Cadillac is not an easy task. In my case, there are only cars on my radar, MB and BMW. I am too old and set in my ways to change.

Johnny Rad

I agree that many places don't require awd. I'm also not arguing the logic of awd vs fwd vs rwd.

Instead, I believe Audi successfully differentiated themselves so much so that BMW and Merc felt obligated to follow suit. If you can't beat them join them: BMW and Merc have dramatically increased their awd offerings in the past 10-20 years. My contention is that Audi is to thank / blame for this shift. This is but one of many reasons why Caddy is behind and may stay behind - they're zigging when the marketplace clearly zagged (see what I did there!).

Airmousam

Spot on, my buddy is a huge caddy guy (he's had 5 in 10 years) and is pi$$ed he can't get hi power AWD...is considering leaving the brand

krd2023

Hi, no I didn't miss any service intervals, but it's likely my dealer may have as it turns out. I had all my services performed by my local MB dealer at most every 10K miles and at least twice per year, as dealer records and my substantial expenses show. For further details on this, please see Post #28 found on Page 2 in my forum and elaborate there if it concerns my MB issue, as found here: https://mbworld.org/forums/diesel-fo...-seized-2.html

Thank you.

krd2023

Thanks very much, El Cid. It looks like Driven to Delight was just recently published, and I'll get a copy as I'm very interested in the story. At face value, my 2015 experience with MBUSA ran polar opposite to the efforts and values touted in the book.

You also bring up an important point about your MB Dealer getting things accomplished for you with MBUSA. It was clear that my MB Dealer wasn't effective with MBUSA, and in fact pointed out to me several times about how difficult it is for them to work with MBUSA.

I'm glad to see this forum is reignited, and I'm interested to follow MBUSA customer service trends as I am the sales trends I'm reading about here.