Can They Do It? Mercedes-Benz Says They Will Be Number One Luxury Brand By 2020

Still better than Lexus.

So true, I was hoping they did not want the best selling brand title. In luxury terms that translates to, least exclusive brand.

Oh well, I guess these days it really is "all about the benjamins".

I will remain a benz owner regardless, as long as they keep heading in the direction they are going which is back to their Stuttgart roots.

Its always been about the Benjamins. Its just that you have to bring out entry products for those to aspire to get an S-Klasse or an AMG. If you've never tasted a Merc, then how do you know you want a Merc? you have to get a little taste in order to want more, more more... The high end models are still exclusive.

Don't get me wrong, I really would prefer to keep the name prestigious and out of reach, but a company has to do what it has to do in order to survive.

@ pondosinatra

Eh, a Mercedes is still a car to aspire to. They're reading the market well in my opinion as they've always done in the past (except for the R class and Maybach).

Also, you're forgetting that living standards have increased over the last few decades so the market for luxury cars is BIG and that means it's a very competitive market. Luxury brands have to be competitive and one way to be competitive is by venturing into new niches or previously untapped niches - because there is a market for small subcompact MAINSTREAM cars and there's a market for small subcompact LUXURY cars.

@ThierryHenry14, my point exactly, it has not ALWAYS BEEN about the benjamins. The A, B, and C Class did not ALWAYS EXIST.

Just as the JAG X-Type of Bimmer 3 Series, did not ALWAYS exist.

Companies are nw more concerned about market share and volume than they have ever been in light of a shaky global economy, and overhead cost to operate EFFECTIVELY in a global market.

How many models do they make? A few hundred?

Cool, more garbage basic MBs so that people think they made it

"Making it" takes many baby steps, one does not go from the average Joe to Bill Gates level overnight. Mercedes is positioning so that you'll have one of their products every step of the way.