Will MB sales and quality continue to slide or improve with Dieter Zetsche?

[Andrzejek]

It never fails -- whenever someone admires my Benz and starts talking about Benz cars, the question always comes up, "why did Benz go with Chrysler?" This question comes from people in gas stations, parking lots, you name it... My usual response is that "Bean Counters" are running Benz today. Engineering talent is still there, but unfortunately running in the background.

When asked by cowboy-wanna-bees, driving Hemi trucks, my response is slightly different -- I refer them to a "Global Warming" website.

[mb230s]

He saved the G by continuing production. He has my vote.

[RockSolid]

Excerpts from:
Buffing Up a Faded Star
By Alex Taylor III, FORTUNE Magazine

Mercedes has boosted the quality of its new models, but owners are still mad about the older ones. Can the brand regain its luster?

The man was Dieter Zetsche, 52, who moved from Chrysler to take over as Mercedes boss in September (he becomes head of all DaimlerChrysler on Jan. 1, 2006). His S-class turn was his first public gesture toward reviving the 110-year-old marque. Stuffy old Mercedes, he was broadly signaling, is getting a makeover. “A brand is like a savings account,� says Zetsche, “where you accumulate good experiences. We have pulled some assets out … and we expect to replace them with new products�—like the S-class.

....The Mercedes account isn’t overdrawn, but it has been depleted.

...After years when it ranked near the top of the J.D. Power initial quality survey, Mercedes plunged to 14th place in 2003, its lowest finish ever. Its vehicles are comically complicated. Assembly workers get confused because the cars can be built in millions of variations. Owners get confused because manuals run to hundreds of pages and provide instructions for everything down to adjusting the driver’s seat.

So Zetsche is focused on brightening up the iconic three-pointed star by buffing Mercedes’ reputation for excellence. Even before he arrived, the company had launched a broad-based quality effort, sharing more parts across car lines, upgrading components, debugging newly built cars, and removing from its vehicles 600 electronic functions that owners didn’t use.

....The effort is working. Mercedes climbed to fifth in the 2005 Power survey, and its internal quality measurements, says Zetsche, are even better. But consumers with older cars continue to suffer. Among three-year-old cars, Power ranked Mercedes 27th in dependability. “The quality problem will have a lingering effect on perceptions for a year or two,� says automotive consultant Susan Jacobs.

Still, the brand has been bent, not broken. In yet another Power study, owners said they remained devoted to Mercedes and gave it a top-tier ranking. To do even better, much will depend on the performance of the new S-class, which comes to the U.S. in January of 2006.

[dahappybanana]

is DCX still doing that commonality between Mercedes and Crysler parts?

[jdc1244]

Yes they are. That’s the cause for concern. Who wants a Chrysler with a hood star stuck on it?

[BENZ REB]

With all due respect, how could anyone vote "slide"???

You mean things could get worse? [:0]

But seriously, great point from NordStern about 1945.

Things have been worse..

[NordStern]

Hi gang.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_33/b3947016_mz001.htm

From what I gather, listening to the jungle drums, things might happend fast. Even the press is now joining in.

When did you last see a Chrysler pull a 55 tonnes bulldozer anyway? You can see a Benz do that any day. Because Daimler Benz is not just about cars. Heck, they have trucks and buses too.


If DC were to separate the Benz cars from the other DB divisions, it would be catastrophic. Separating Benz from Chrysler would be lovely.

Stuttgart does have the means to mend the situation. But do they have the will?

I think so.


Regards

Geir

[Roch207]

I would like to see a lot more product line offered to the states. There once was a time we could get any Mercedes with a diesel. Now when we desperately need it, we have only one to choose from!

Wish list:
1) E class estate CDI with 4 matic
2) G class CDI
3) ML CDI (built in America but not offered here???)
4) C class CDI (all lines especially estate)

PLEASE SEND US THESE VEHICLES!!!!!!!!!!!

[RockSolid]

How 'bout the A Class?
How 'bout the Smart cars?

Seems to me, those would definately have a market.
I know there is a lot of competition in the small car category, but it would be a good way to introduce the brand. Heck, I'd like to have a Smart car to drive around town.