Mercedes strategy sharply criticized - Ministry of Economics distances itself
Created: 12/04/2022 12:03 p.m
By: Dominik Jahn
Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann criticizes Mercedes for its luxury strategy.
© dpa |
Bernd Weißbrod/ Peerapon Boonyakiat/ Collage Jahn
Mercedes was recently criticized.
Not everyone likes the car manufacturer's luxury strategy.
Baden-Württemberg's transport minister even predicts problems with future projects at home.
At Mercedes you can currently feel like a sales winner.
In 2022, the Stuttgart car manufacturers will earn more than Audi and the parent company VW, as
echo24.de
reports.
However, the luxury segment has recently caused problems for the group.
According to various reports, sales of some models are too low.
Exactly for this product area there was recently massive criticism from the Ministry of Transport - which did not go unanswered.
In an interview with the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and "Stuttgarter Nachrichten", Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann, strongly attacked Mercedes and questioned the strategy adopted: "If you only produce cars for sheikhs and the rich of this world, you get a acceptance problem".
Transport Minister puts Mercedes under pressure with a statement
And Hermann was even clearer in his explanations.
He gave Mercedes little hope for future projects at home with the luxury strategy: "If you want to set up a production site here again, some will say: We won't give up our beautiful landscape for that.
The German car industry would be well advised to bring affordable e-cars as well.”
Company: | Mercedes |
|---|---|
Headquarters: | Stuttgart |
Founding: | Nov 2019 |
introductory year: | 1926 |
umbrella organization: | Mercedes-Benz Group |
Even among the car experts, the luxury models are viewed rather critically.
This is what Ferdinand Dudenhöffer said to the
German Press Agency (dpa)
on the subject: "One should think again very carefully whether this is a stable strategy for the future." Mercedes boss Ola Källenius remains relatively calm, like the BW24 reported.
Ministry of Economics distances itself from the criticism of the car manufacturer
Meanwhile, the reaction in the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics was less than enthusiastic.
According to the "Stuttgarter Zeitung", a spokeswoman for the ministry explains: "We are happy and grateful that the Mercedes-Benz Group, one of the most successful automotive groups in the world, has its home in Baden-Württemberg."
Hermann's criticism is therefore an interference in Mercedes' corporate policy: "The economic and strategic orientation of the companies, on the other hand, was and has always been the responsibility of the companies themselves. We want to maintain this division of labor in a partnership."
Mercedes also relies on the new subscription offers
Another development in the automotive industry that Transport Minister Hermann is unlikely to like is the growing number of subscription models.
As
echo24.de
has already reported, Mercedes relies on a subscription offer for more speed.
