Daimler needs to buy Lancia

"El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!" (lightningzone) 05/06/2014 at 15:36 • Filed to: None

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#savelancia

Corey CC97, MAZDA DPI IS STILL BAE JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV VISIT FLORIDA RACING LIVES FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 15:37

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Anything to save Lancia.

Blake Noble > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 15:38

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I'm waiting for the day Beijing Auto throws an offer out. They've been looking for a brand to buy.

Would I rather see another automaker buy the brand? Well, yeah. But if the Chinese buy it, I won't be surprised in the least.

offroadkarter > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 15:40

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they did a good job saving chrysler

AMC/Renauledge > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 15:42

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Daimler's gone to all the trouble to launch the A/B/CLA/GLA lines, which are all right in Lancia's kisser. It's too late to save them. They're toast. And FCA would probably rather close the brand than sell it, since there's really nothing to sell anymore except the name.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > offroadkarter 05/06/2014 at 16:05

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Well, anything would be better than what Fiat did.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > AMC/Renauledge 05/06/2014 at 16:14

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They could buy one of those unused Italian plants, and an R&D center. This could be the best thing for both Lancia and Mercedes, one gets its ass saved, the other gets an authentic brand with a huge history to play with.

Playing with Lancia is a lot more fun than playing with Smart.

offroadkarter > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 16:14

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3rd from the left looks like an italian pt cruiser lol

AMC/Renauledge > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 16:17

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To play with? Where would Lancia fit into M-B? It's always been an upscale Italian marque with a huge racing pedigree. Just like M-B. They'd compete with each other.

Lancia needs more than to be played around with. They need to be prioritized. If anything, PSA could use them instead of trying to spin "DS" off into its own brand.

AMC/Renauledge > offroadkarter 05/06/2014 at 16:18

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It's the current Ypsilon. It's basically a puny 5-door Fiat 500, and it's the only model that'll survive into the foreseeable future. But only in Italy. The PT Loser was way bigger.

offroadkarter > AMC/Renauledge 05/06/2014 at 16:20

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the styling of the front could pass for a new PT though

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > AMC/Renauledge 05/06/2014 at 16:39

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PSA is broke. Daimler could use Lancia as a sister brand, that uses existent Daimler parts, but it contrasts the conservative German design of Mercedes, with expressive and daring Italian styling.

And because Lancia is used with small cars, it would allow Mercedes to go as down as possible, without altering it's own brand. That being said, a shared platform strategy could bring Daimler huge economies of scale.

Add the rumored takeover of Aston Martin, and Daimler could end up with a pretty nice empire, to challenge VAG, GM or FCA.

AMC/Renauledge > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 16:41

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Mercedes has been doing small cars for almost 20 years now. I'd say they're entrenched. Plus, they've invested a ton into Smart. They're not just going to throw that away, too.

And why would Daimler buy a brand that'd just compete with itself? What's the point?

PSA may be low on cash, but all they'd need to buy is the name and a plant. That'd all be peanuts. There isn't anything more of Lancia to buy anymore.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > AMC/Renauledge 05/06/2014 at 16:53

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Because Lancia would have a different personality and would go after different buyers, and because the R&D costs would go down if they are splitting them between two brands. In the end, the profits from both Mercedes and Lancia sales, would end up in Daimler accounts.

I think that Dr. Z prefers this solution rather than letting the French or the Chinese buy Lancia, revive it and then compete with Daimler's own Mercedes.

And, Mercedes could use the Lancia brand for a WEC return(with the engine they use in F1), without having to face its Le Mans nightmares.

AMC/Renauledge > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2014 at 16:56

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Can you name me a single other car company that owns two luxury brands that compete directly with each other, and that are both successful?

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > AMC/Renauledge 05/06/2014 at 17:08

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Doesn't mean it can't be done.

4age20vsilvertop > AMC/Renauledge 05/08/2014 at 14:55

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Not necessarily luxury brands, but VAG has 4 offerings in the compact segment: The Golf, A3, Skoda Octavia and Seat Léon, all of which do pretty well. You could also argue that the Lexus IS competes with the Toyota Mark X and the GS/LS compete with the Crown/Crown Majesta, although only on the east asian markets.