“An affront for many”: Transport Minister shoots again against Mercedes luxury strategy – but drives EQS himself
Created: 01/05/2023 12:34 PM
By: Julian Baumann
Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann, has once again criticized Mercedes-Benz's luxury strategy.
But it's not about "Mercedes bashing," the politician explained.
Stuttgart - Since Mercedes-Benz presented the extended luxury strategy in May 2022, there has been criticism of the direction of the global company from Stuttgart.
Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) criticized the strategy for the first time shortly after it was announced.
When asked about the criticism, Mercedes strategy chief Carolin Strauss replied in the BW24 interview that the strategy offered great potential.
"We want and will continue to grow - but we are focusing on profitable growth," she explained.
"In this respect, we are making our business more resilient and, for example, also securing jobs in Germany."
However, Winfried Hermann apparently sees things differently and followed up at the end of last year.
Mercedes would "only produce cars for sheikhs and the rich", criticized the transport minister.
In an interview with the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(faz)
, the Green politician repeated his criticism of the large car company, but also emphasized that he was not concerned with "Mercedes bashing" but with an open dialogue.
In addition, the minister, like Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann, drives a Mercedes-EQS as a company car.
Mercedes luxury strategy continues to meet with incomprehension from the Minister of Transport – “an affront for many”
Specifically, Mercedes-Benz wants to focus even more on luxury and thin out the entry-level segment.
Instead, the main focus in future will be on the high-priced models of the core brand and the brands Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and the electric car brand Mercedes-EQ.
In May of last year, Mercedes boss Ola Källenius made no secret of the fact that entry into the global brand with the star will be significantly more expensive as a result.
"If you verbally focus on luxury like that, it's an affront for many average people," said Winfried Hermann in an interview with the
faz
.
“Daimler used to offer small cars like the Smart.
Today they no longer need them to comply with the CO2 fleet limits.”
Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) has again criticized Mercedes-Benz's luxury strategy.
However, he emphasized that he was not concerned with “bashing” the group.
© Horst Rudel/Imago/Press photo Mercedes-Benz (photomontage: BW24)
The Smart brand is still part of the Mercedes group, but it doesn't play a role in the Swabians' luxury strategy.
In addition, the Mercedes subsidiary now relies on electric SUVs such as the Smart #1, which is produced exclusively in China, instead of small cars.
"This is the complete reversal of the previous approach," said the Minister of Transport.
However, Smart had stated that the brand's iconic small cars simply no longer paid off.
"I hear that again and again, but it doesn't convince me," says Hermann.
Overall, the politician sees the problem that German car manufacturers no longer offer cheap electric cars.
Winfried Hermann: "It's not about Mercedes bashing, I'm about open dialogue"
Especially in the course of the mobility turnaround, the topic of sustainability has come to the fore in recent years.
"I expect German manufacturers not only to calculate in the short term from a business point of view, but also to think ecologically and sustainably," Winfried Hermann made clear to the
faz
.
In order for a car to have a future in the face of the climate crisis, it must be resource-light and energy-efficient.
"I've been driving e-vehicles as a company car for a long time, currently a Mercedes EQS." The politician is also quite satisfied with the large electric sedan in terms of efficiency, driving quality and range.
In his criticism of the luxury strategy, Winfried Hermann apparently does not see that the EQS is a luxury car that cannot be had for less than 100,000 euros.
"I'm not about Mercedes bashing, I'm about open dialogue," emphasizes the Green politician.
Overall, the German manufacturers would rely too much on premium, which one could see quite critically.
The transport minister has a lot of confidence in domestic companies.
"The auto industry in Baden-Württemberg can do a lot," he said.
"It could also build cars that are not only fast and big, but also city-friendly and sustainable."