The Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius carefully distanced itself from the previously propagated luxury strategy: In a conversation with the “Handelsblatt”, Källenius literally said: “We never actually described our strategy that is correct: Mercedes-Benz has always been for something special.” Three years ago, it all sounded very different, when Ola Källenius showed a presentation of 22 pages in English under the heading “The soul of Mercedes-Benz”, with which sub-line: “Our strategic principles as a luxury company”. The first pillar of the future corporate strategy should be: “Think and act like a luxury company”. Then it was explained how the Mercedes car business was to be redefined, using the example of a diamond with a round end and a tip as well as with the three market segments “Entry Luxury”, “Core Luxury” and “Top-End Luxury”. A-Class, B-Class, CLA and GLA. The tip pointed to a narrower paragraph for the “upper end of the luxury”. In the schematic representation, Källenius showed how he wanted to turn his car business around: in the lowest market segment only a small narrow tip that should symbolize more expensive cars with smaller sales figures in the compact car market. In contrast, the width of the diamond should be in the top market segment in the future, i.e. exactly where the S-Class, the electric EQs, the expensive upper class coupés and SUVs or the high-motorized AMG versions and the luxurious Maybach are located. The concept with the diamond as a symbol of the Mercedes market should be the goal for 2026. Sales did not cover sales of 2024, however, did not fit into this luxury strategy. Because both with “Entry” and “Top-End”, a drop in sales was shown by 14 percent compared to 2023. In the entrance segment, sales also shrank to 535,000 in the top segment from 328,000 in 2023 to a little more than 281,000 for 2024. In the first half of 2025, the sales of the “Top-End” segment fell by another eight percent. Mercedes sales would have identified, the rate is currently 14 percent. Because the profit threshold was reduced by reducing costs, the luxurious models could now also deliver a larger profit contribution than before. Impulses through new models can only be expected in this segment a little later, while Mercedes will strengthen the group of the group with two new models from autumn, the new CLA and the electric SUV of the mid-range as a counterpart to the current burner GLC. 2028. For the core business, Källenius recently announced three electric models and four combustion engineers for 2026 and 2027. For the upper end of the market, eleven combustion models and eleven electric cars were announced in 2026 and 2027. Mercedes had started in the 1990s to take care of this market segment, to address young customers and to generate scale effects through quantities, for example for trade. After all, it was also obvious to create an entire model family as soon as a platform for compact models had become necessary. In contrast to the other Mercedes front -wheel drive and transverse engines, it has a maximum of four cylinders. There are currently five models. But the larger ones will receive a different substructure in the future, so the small scale effects of the little ones are no longer necessary.
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