"Groagun" (groagun)
04/08/2015 at 16:08 • Filed to: None
1
17|
"Groagun" (groagun)
04/08/2015 at 16:08 • Filed to: None | 1
| 17 |
How important is it too you that the vehicle you buy or own, is and has been engineered and built by the company whose badge is on the car? It seems like a bit of an odd question but the news yesterday, April 07 2015, made me ask that question.
This little bit of hot news made the rounds and many seem to be excited about it's potential birth. A premium pickup truck by Mercedes Benz: A Mercedes Benz pickup truck!
I think this is perhaps the stupidest thing Mercedes can do. Talk about a bridge too far or the answer to a question no one is asking, that would be the MB pickup truck.
Now if MB thinks it will sell and be profitable and you as 'Joe' consumer actually want this, then more power to them and I hope you get your wish, truck. But I want to know if it changes your mind or perception at all knowing that it really isn't a MB, it's a Nissan Frontier.
More correctly it's projected to be on the same chassis as the Frontier, not necessarily today's Frontier, but whatever under pins the truck when MB is ready to go to market. Is it a Mercedes? Is it just an expensive Frontier? If executed correctly, do or will you care?
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
On the other side of the automotive world we had this:
A genuine test mule for the upcoming Rolls Royce SUV. Yes that's a Phantom with even bigger wheels on a lift kit, or totally new chassis and a big wing. How Awesome!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
This should be some super villains car right now as is. This is though a total Rolls Royce engineered and built product. You may argue about BMW ownership but they have let RR stand alone and have stewarded this great company to perfection.
The Rolls Royce SUV will be a Rolls Royce. You cannot say that about the MB pickup truck.
BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:16 |
|
I don't really care at all, as long as it's good at what it's designed for. If Mercedes thought it was more financially feasible to use a Nissan platform for their truck, then good for them. From what I hear, it's a good truck, and I think Mercedes knows what they're doing when it comes to luxury. Look at the G Class for instance.
ranwhenparked
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:19 |
|
Meh, as long as the product is good and it doesn't overwhelmingly conflict with the quality and values of the brand's other products, I don't think it matters. It can be done badly though, for every Saab 9000/Alfa Romeo 164, you get a Saab 9-7X.
KirkyV
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:23 |
|
I take your point about 'authenticity', but where I'm from there's nothing dubious at all about the idea of ' A Mercedes Benz pickup truck' , as you say. They've as much of a reputation for utility vehicles as they do luxury cars.
|
Groagun
> ranwhenparked
04/08/2015 at 16:23 |
|
Your point about brand value and quality are spot on. I think this move can really hurt the MB name and reputation.
Racescort666
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:26 |
|
Maybe I'm the wrong person to answer this because I would only buy (and have bought) a truck for a utilitarian purpose. However, as far as branding goes, it kind of doesn't matter if it's a joint venture or they actually purchase chassis from a supplier.
What makes a luxury truck?
We, the automotive enthusiasts, know that Escalades are basically Tahoes with nicer bodies. And they sell very well and have great margins and consumers are happy with them. I forget the designation but GM's truck platforms are solid and not a single person who isn't a competitor's fanboy will dispute that.
If we extrapolate this idea to luxury trucks in general, the platform a luxury truck is built on doesn't really matter as long as it is solid. I can't speak for Nissan nor do I have to because my point is that the only thing that matters is the body. So as long as the body is 100% Mercedes, they will have done exactly the same thing as GM, who has been very successful with their vehicle line.
KnowsAboutCars
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:27 |
|
This isn't actually new thing for Mercedes, for example their Citan is basically Renault Kangoo. Also, is the new pickup going to be a premium product? So far all their vans and trucks haven't had the luxury image their passenger cars have.
|
Groagun
> KirkyV
04/08/2015 at 16:27 |
|
From an American stand point I think your examples are wrong. The sprinter in all of it's configurations is a great commercial vehicle but ,pickups are a whole other animal.
Pickups are the one vehicle that cross the consumer vs commercial buying segments. MB have proved themselves in the commercial market place, now tackling the consumer space is a whole other ball game with much large and unique challenges to go with the risk.
|
Groagun
> Racescort666
04/08/2015 at 16:31 |
|
Great points and I agree but it's not an apples to apples comparison. GM supplies itself with chassis for several different models. This is MB utilizing(buying, whatever) chassis from Nissan. Slightly different story and it makes a difference, or could to me at least.
|
Groagun
> KnowsAboutCars
04/08/2015 at 16:34 |
|
Excellent point, sorry I'm sitting in NA not Europe so sometimes I miss or omit these examples. As for the truck being 'luxury', there is no confirmation on any specs or aspects of the truck as of yet.
PS9
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:37 |
|
I think this is perhaps the stupidest thing Mercedes can do. Talk about a bridge too far or the answer to a question no one is asking, that would be the MB pickup truck.
I don't know about that. All three of the leading pick ups can be optioned up to $50k. What's the volume on $50k pickups in the US? Only GM, Ford and Fiat-sler know the answer, but if it's big enough, there might be room in there for something with a badge from further up the market.
As for the legitimacy, we might not be thinking of the problem in the right way. What comes to mind when you hear the words,"Mercedes Benz"? Luxury. Comfort. A nice place to be. Even the worst model in MBs lineup has an interior better than a lot of other cars on the market, right? So let me ask you something; wouldn't it be great if the vehicle you must spend 500k miles driving in out of work obligations could be like this inside?
|
Racescort666
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:43 |
|
Maybe it's different for me because I work in the auto industry and see this kind of thing all the time. If Mercedes wants to make a body-on-frame pickup, they need to get a chassis from somewhere. It doesn't make business sense for them to develop one themselves because it's kind of a niche product. So they go to someone who is willing to sell them a chassis: Nissan.
Let me ask you this: what bothers you the most: outsourcing the chassis in general, outsourcing to Nissan (as opposed to someone else like Ford, GM, Toyota, etc), or the fact that Mercedes wants to build a body-on-frame truck?
ly2v8-Brian
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:45 |
|
You're wrong. It's not a bad move. Besides it's not like they haven't made utilitarian vehicles.
|
KnowsAboutCars
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 16:48 |
|
My guess is they are trying to compete against VW Amarok and the likes on markets that see pickup trucks rather as tools not premium family cars. So I don't think it will be luxury but maybe it will have some more expensive trim levels they consider bringing to the US as well.
|
Groagun
> PS9
04/08/2015 at 16:56 |
|
No actually! I take your point and it's good but to me, understanding that I as an individual seem to be like few others, hate the idea of taking pickup trucks, work vehicles to segments they shouldn't go too.
Part of the problem is that every American seems to think they need or lust after a pickup truck. We all know that the vast majority don't, but hey, it's a free country. The problem is the market today has been driven up so high by the average consumer that the work crowd is now being forced to pony up way more for what they need and the TCO( Total Cost of Ownership) equation is way out of balance and trucks like the upcoming MB, if they are what we thing they will be, will further up the price across the board and push the TCO equation even further out of whack.
There is way more at stake and play than just your need for 'Corinthian' leather, seat massagers and LED mood lighting.
|
Groagun
> Racescort666
04/08/2015 at 17:01 |
|
It doesn't really bug me at all in that MB is looking to Nissan or anyone for the chassis. I just wonder if it diminishes the image and value of MB itself. I'm sure the average consumer cares little if any but I think about the difference between Toyota and Lexus.
Same company but I've seen several cases where Lexus owners are upset when they see Toyota branded maintenance products and replacement parts in Toyota packaging and with Toyota labels. It may be silly and petty but it's real and it affects ownership and perceived value.
|
Groagun
> ly2v8-Brian
04/08/2015 at 17:04 |
|
Ha. As I said to one respondent, the problem isn't that MB is in the commercial space, it's that the pickup truck uniquely occupies the the bridge between the commercial segment and the consumer segment. Two different markets, two different customers. Lots of potential land mines to step on here.
|
Racescort666
> Groagun
04/08/2015 at 18:09 |
|
I think that 90% of people don't know that this kind of thing happens regularly.
As for people getting upset about brand X parts on brand Y luxury vehicle, it's entirely possible that they could request Mercedes branded maintenance parts too. Most maintenance parts that customers would see the branding on (sparkplugs, filters, fluids) are high enough volume to justify a different branding. Especially since the tooling for the part really wouldn't have to change.