to put your ad here
There is “das trockenei” (dried egg) on the face of the development team responsible the Mercedes Benz CLK.
Only just released to the press and already an early mid-life makeover is planned. Why? Because even cheap cars like the 4-seater Peugeot 307 convertible has a METAL ROOF and a DIESEL engine.
Studies by Karman and others into the possibility of giving the CLK convertible a steel roof were abandoned because MB wanted the SL to be their state-of-the-art “showcase” to justify the high price. In contrast, the little SLK was never seen as competition to the SL’s sales so it’s folding roof was irrelevant. So the Germans decided to use a 3-layer canvass roof instead to save time and money - while everyone else has been investing in tin-tops - ironically following MB’s lead.
Although the CLK coupe has the 170 bhp 2.7-litre diesel, it was decided not to fit the motor to the
convertible because it would have been audible when the roof was down. Even though a vast number of CLK coupes were being specified as diesels, for some bizarre reason MB assumed nobody would want a diesel convertible. Doh!
This huge cock-up has left an angered board. The only hope now is to port over some of the CLK coupes engine, transmission and electrical systems to the convertible as soon as possible, and to bring forward the double-folding roof seen in the SL before sales plummet. In the UK it was a commonly help opinion around dealers that the coupe would have a metal roof, ala SL. It soon became clear this was not so, and deposits dried up.
Having someone be more impressed with a $25,000 307 than a $75,000 luxury sports car is just not good enough and despite what dealers are saying about waiting times, I have heard stories of dealers mysteriously locating suitable cars within hours of a customer enquiry.
On a positive note, this will be the last Mercedes Benz car designed to a budget. In order to achieve a fixed cost, corners were cut (current C and S classes are a prime example). Cheap materials in the area all drivers see the most - inside the car. From the forthcoming replacement S-Class, and on all subsequent models, the focus will be on quality, refinement and engineering.
Praise be to God, for they have seen the light.
Auto Spies perspective: We hope it's true...we've been longing for the re-introduction of (should we say it?) "Mercedes-Benz Classic"...We're not crazy about the new formula! We seem to recall a company that was in the same dilemma...What was their name? :)
The Spies are happy to give MB the solution to the problem and show them how to defeat the enemy, for good. Build your cars like vaults again and figure out how to make them drive like BMW's. If you do that, it's over. Period. But then again, we heard this nasty rumor that the same family that owns the majority of stock in MB also owns the majority of stock in BMW...if it's true, would they ever want this to happen? Doubtful. Seems like they have the decks stacked... your comments appreciated at rumors@autospies.com