The Mercedes marketing execs and product managers should be fired! There is no new showroom draw for 2004. Everything is carryover from 2003. BMW has new models to generate showroom traffic - 6-Series Coupe, 6-Series Cabrio and X3.

It may not get better in 2005 because IMHO the CLS 4-door coupe will be a niche car and not sell in volume. There was no need for a 4-door car betwenn the E & S-Class and anyone looking for a real 2-door car will not be giving the CLS a second look. Marketing the CLS as a Coupe is insulting ones intelligence?




From Reuters, April 06 2004:

"Mercedes' March global sales slip 1.8%

FRANKFURT -- DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes Car Group posted a 1.8 percent fall in global vehicle sales for March from the year-ago period to 115,400 units, the automaker said Tuesday.

This brought sales of Mercedes and Smart cars to 274,000 units in the first quarter, a drop of 4.2 percent year-on-year, it said in a statement.

Sales had declined 8 percent in January and almost 4 percent in February, mainly due to weak demand in western Europe for its aging product line."

I also Forgot this. Not sure if the upcoming Mercedes Mini-Van people mover will get sales back on track. It will generate some showroom traffice due to it's oddity. But again that is slated for 2005 model year.

New SLK in 05?

It will pick up in 2005/6 with their new lineups. Believe that...

New SLK & the face-lifted C-Class with the new interior.

2006 with face-lifted / interior CLK, SL...

I'm sure they're gonna be right back up with sales figures

Yeah, it looks like 2005 will be a banner year - Let's hope so? 2004 is going to be a dog.

Refresh my memory. When does the face-lifted C-Class come out?

I believe 2005 models have the face lift. So that would mean it would be in dealers around August.

'04 is almost over anyway, May is fast approaching. By July/August the '05s will start to trickle in.

The CLS is the kind of car that appeals to the aesthetic person among the consumer base. They don't want the same old boring E-Class that their neighbors have. I think MB is billing the CLS as more “coupe like” with a coupe silhouette, pillarless doors, 4-place seating, etc. The interior quality of the CLS is much higher than that of the regular E-Class as well. I am cautiously optimistic that the CLS will sell reasonably well. Most people will not want a 4 seater, nor will most people want to transcend the norm and try something different. So, the CLS is certainly a niche vehicle.

As far as sales go, when interest rates go back up after the election, the dollar will strengthen against the Euro, the price of MBs will come down, and European manufacturers will be able to hedge the market once again.

The production model is not pillarless. That would have been nice and unique but with the pillars the car is just a fancy sedan. That "It's a Coupe" moniker Mercedes will be using is ignorant.

Improper verbage use on my part, I meant "frameless" doors. The CLS does in fact have a B-pillar...