Mercedes Aims for the Super-Rich With a ‘Super’ S-Class

This isn’t the first time Mercedes has chased superhigh rollers—and the last attempt didn’t end well. In 2002 the company resurrected the long-dormant Maybach brand with a superlong limousine based on the then-current S-Class. The company had expected to sell a couple thousand vehicles each year but never broke out of the low hundreds. In 2013, the brand was shuttered—an ignominious fate made all the more so since Maybach’s competitors Bentley and Rolls-Royce have gone on to record-breaking sales.

Will the new Super S-Class suffer the same outcome? The new über-Benz does have a few things going for it that the Maybach didn’t. For starters, it will cost less: $250,000 is a far cry from the $350,000-470,000 that Maybachs used to cost. “$250,000 is far more reasonable than what Maybachs were costing,” says Tynan. “For an owner of an S-Class, it’s not as big of a jump.”

Another asset the Super S-Class will have is discretion. One of the Maybach’s problems was that it was a parade float of a car. Its length, its optional two-tone paint job, the curtains on the windows—they all just screamed for attention. And while that might be fun for a professional athlete or dictator, most of the plutocracy likes playing their affluence a bit closer to their (bespoke, naturally) vest when among the great unwashed.

Not that Rich Uncle Pennybags is going to drive a Chameleon XLE, but given the preponderance of S-Classes in most cities, having the “Super” one should let you blend in with the merely affluent.

Article Appeared @ http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-01/mercedes-aims-for-the-super-rich-with-a-super-s-class#r=hpf-s

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