Daimler :Mercedes Benz is back
10-04-07, 10:55 PM
#1
Racer
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Daimler :Mercedes Benz is back
All I can say is YAY.
Daimler: Mercedes-Benz Is Back
All it took was one shareholders' meeting for DaimlerChrysler to get a fresh start and new identity. DaimlerChrysler AG shareholders overwhelmingly voted to change the company's name to Daimler AG. Over 98% of shareholders were in favor of the measure, seen as a way of distancing the company from a disastrous $36 billion merger in 1998 with Chrysler.
Chrysler was sold off to private equity firm Cerebrus Capital Management in August 2007 for roughly $6 billion.
Additionally, CEO Dieter Zetsche told shareholders that Daimler AG's first order of business was to rename its passenger car division Mercedes-Benz Cars, once again honoring Carl Friedrich Benz. Benz's company combined with Gottlieb Daimler in 1926, but the Chrysler merger saw his name dropped from the car's branding.
"The proud name of Benz will not only remain prominent, it will have significantly higher visibility," Zetsche said.
The announcement comes on the heels of strong business news for both Mercedes and its parent company. Selling a record 124,600 vehicles, thanks in part to the new C-Class sedan, Mercedes showed a growth of 7.4% in total sales. Mercedes also saw an increase in sales during August, and has seen an overall year-to-year increase of nearly 1% to 942,300 vehicles sold, according to Daimler LLC. Smart also saw a hefty sales increase, with monthly sales jumping up 11.2%, on the introduction of the Smart ForTwo.
All it took was one shareholders' meeting for DaimlerChrysler to get a fresh start and new identity. DaimlerChrysler AG shareholders overwhelmingly voted to change the company's name to Daimler AG. Over 98% of shareholders were in favor of the measure, seen as a way of distancing the company from a disastrous $36 billion merger in 1998 with Chrysler.
Chrysler was sold off to private equity firm Cerebrus Capital Management in August 2007 for roughly $6 billion.
Additionally, CEO Dieter Zetsche told shareholders that Daimler AG's first order of business was to rename its passenger car division Mercedes-Benz Cars, once again honoring Carl Friedrich Benz. Benz's company combined with Gottlieb Daimler in 1926, but the Chrysler merger saw his name dropped from the car's branding.
"The proud name of Benz will not only remain prominent, it will have significantly higher visibility," Zetsche said.
The announcement comes on the heels of strong business news for both Mercedes and its parent company. Selling a record 124,600 vehicles, thanks in part to the new C-Class sedan, Mercedes showed a growth of 7.4% in total sales. Mercedes also saw an increase in sales during August, and has seen an overall year-to-year increase of nearly 1% to 942,300 vehicles sold, according to Daimler LLC. Smart also saw a hefty sales increase, with monthly sales jumping up 11.2%, on the introduction of the Smart ForTwo.
10-05-07, 02:39 PM
#6
I hope they build them better than they used to. We had a 95 C280, that's well before the merger and that car was crap. All the models were crap. The trouble started before the merger and I believe will continue long after. Only one thing will make Benz improve the reliability of their cars.....when people stop buying.....and that hasn't happened yet. People buy them for status symbols and treat the multiple service visits like a visit to the country club.
10-05-07, 11:14 PM
#7
I hope they build them better than they used to. We had a 95 C280, that's well before the merger and that car was crap. All the models were crap. The trouble started before the merger and I believe will continue long after. Only one thing will make Benz improve the reliability of their cars.....when people stop buying.....and that hasn't happened yet. People buy them for status symbols and treat the multiple service visits like a visit to the country club.
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10-06-07, 09:49 AM
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I've seen the new C-Class commercials and they do seem pretty serious. A
1-minute segment shows the extensive testing a development that went into the new C. The future finally looks promising for MB.
1-minute segment shows the extensive testing a development that went into the new C. The future finally looks promising for MB.
10-06-07, 05:00 PM
#11
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My 1986 420SEL (W126) has 220,000 miles on it and is still rock solid. The last handbuilt mercedes. They should start making them like they used to.
Plus the bottom of the chain C280 from the dark era of mercedes benz (1990~2002) is far when they "made them like they used to." They have a 99 CLK430 and a 2000 E320. They both drive like benz's but they are kinda turds. When mercedes was doing all the cost cutting to keep the prices competitive the quality of the cars suffered. They still build one hell of a car though.
EDIT: PS - I've driving the C300 and C350 sport back to back and took a C300 luxury out for a while. They are VERY nice cars. I was very, very suprised.
Plus the bottom of the chain C280 from the dark era of mercedes benz (1990~2002) is far when they "made them like they used to." They have a 99 CLK430 and a 2000 E320. They both drive like benz's but they are kinda turds. When mercedes was doing all the cost cutting to keep the prices competitive the quality of the cars suffered. They still build one hell of a car though.
EDIT: PS - I've driving the C300 and C350 sport back to back and took a C300 luxury out for a while. They are VERY nice cars. I was very, very suprised.
10-06-07, 09:44 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Correct. The quality drop actually started in the early-to-mid 1990s when the company started facing steep competition from Lexus....less so from Infiniti. Mercedes was forced to cut costs in a country (Germany) where organized labor would not allow wage or benefit cuts, so the quality of the materials that went into their vehicles took a hit instead.....and more and more of them became lemons.
Ironically, however, the quality of the Mercedes unibody frame, for crashworthiness, has NOT taken a cut....for all their other problems, M-B, along with Volvo, still produces some of the safest, strongest, most crashworthy vehicles in the world.
Ironically, however, the quality of the Mercedes unibody frame, for crashworthiness, has NOT taken a cut....for all their other problems, M-B, along with Volvo, still produces some of the safest, strongest, most crashworthy vehicles in the world.
10-06-07, 11:22 PM
#14
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They've never cut corners on safety from day 1. They cut corners on things like cd players, leather seats, and other cosmetic things that are very visible but still puts in all the money into safety. Once you get in it's felt right away how sturdy the car is.
10-07-07, 05:28 PM
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