Mercedes – kaput?

During the week before last, the Russian media, literally competing with each other, often citing German sources, spread the topic of the collapse of the Mercedes concern. Almost verbatim the headlines read: “Mercedes-Benz is leaving Germany,” “Mercedes is closing its offices in Germany,” “Mercedes explained the possible sale of all car dealerships in Germany.” The presenters of some popular television programs in the Russian Federation did not ignore this topic.

I have already written more than once that, having lived in Germany for quite a long time and loving Russia with all my heart, although I have not lived even a day in modern Russia, I have a unique opportunity to observe from the inside, on the spot and present first-hand information to those who are interested about what is really happening in the country. And since with the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, a rabid anti-Russian campaign began in Germany, I am very acutely and, frankly speaking, painfully aware of mistakes, inaccuracies, and sometimes outright blunders in the “counter-battery information warfare” on the part of Russia.

There are no trifles in wrestling

Probably, this is how a person is designed that he, especially in our time of an avalanche-like flow of information, simply intuitively does not want to plunge into this abyss behind a noisy and catchy headline. And so everything is clear, everything is already explained in the title of the article, you don’t even need to waste time reading...

This, frankly speaking, is disappointing, although this is what prompted me to write the article presented to your attention. Of course, many topics on the scale of the events taking place now seem not so important, but I think that from this mass of unimportant, momentary events, the real picture of what is happening, both in Russia and abroad, emerges. And beyond the immediate borders there is an enemy, and we must not tell fairy tales about him, but tell the truth as it is. Because only in this way will the country’s information authority be strong and unshakable.

And even if there are countless examples of outright nonsense on the part of Russia’s enemies, we must always remember that there is power in truth, therefore every incorrect, unverified word is a small mark left on the front of gaining trust and unquestioned authority of both the author himself and the publication, radio program or TV programs of the country they represent.

Well, now to ours, or rather theirs, “Mercedes”, which seems to be leaving Germany...

Everyone knows the expression: “What Russian doesn’t like driving fast,” and the same can be said about the Germans. Germany is one of six countries from all continents where there are no speed limits on highways (Autobahn). In addition to Germany, these are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Haiti, Mauritania and Burundi. But I don’t know if there are roads there that allow driving at speeds above 130 km/h.

And since for me personally, any “His Majesty’s car” is a work of art, then, based on V.I. Lenin’s postulate: “Art belongs to the people,” I would like to briefly renounce what the Germans did in the past decades of the early twentieth centuries and where they have taken them today, talk about what the favorite of hundreds and hundreds of millions of people on the planet is - Mercedes-Benz, and what is happening to it today.

Mercedes-Benz Group AG (once Daimler-Benz AG, DaimlerChrysler AG and Daimler AG) is a world-famous manufacturer of cars and trucks, and not only because there is practically no country on whose roads cars with a star do not drive hood, but also Mercedes-Benz Group AG plants operate directly in Germany, the USA, Mexico, France, Spain, Hungary, Turkey, Romania, China, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and Vietnam and, by the way, producing It's not just cars.

It’s a pity, of course, that in Russia, due to sanctions, the Germans closed production to their own detriment. In addition, Mercedes-Benz Group AG owns many of the largest companies, seemingly unrelated to the world of automobile and engine production, and also provides all kinds of financial services.

How it all began?

History Mercedes-Benz Group AG began in 1883 when the company Benz & Co Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik was founded in Mannheim.

In 1883, Gottlieb Daimler first received patent rights for the then-called gas engine and for regulating the engine speed by controlling the exhaust valve. These two patents formed the basis of the world's first high-speed internal combustion engine.

This unusual Daimlers Reitwagen unit was driven by
Gottlieb Daimler engine

Gottlieb Daimler (17.03.1834/06.03.1900/XNUMX – XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX)

On January 29, 1886, Karl Friedrich Benz patented the automobile, a three-wheeled vehicle with an internal combustion engine and electric ignition.

Karl Friedrich Benz (25.11.1844 – 04.04.1929)

And two and a half years later, in August 1888, his wife Frau Bertha Benz made a trip as the driver of this car from the city of Mannheim to the city of Pforzheim, covering a distance of 106 kilometers. The engine power was estimated at 1–3 horsepower, the maximum speed of the vehicle was up to 20 km/h.
Attention: 136 years ago!

Patent-Motorwagen Model 3 and Bertha Benz (03.05.1849/05.05.1944/XNUMX – XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX)

Another outstanding specialist worked in Gottlieb Daimler's team - Wilhelm Maybach, whose talent is evidenced by the fact that since the end of the 19th century, almost all engines produced by Daimler for ships, cars, and then for airships and airplanes were designed exactly to them.

By the way, such a device as a carburetor was also invented and designed by Maybach.

Wilhelm Maybach (09.02.1846/29.12.1929/XNUMX – XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX)

In June 1902, as they say, at the instigation of another interesting gentleman named Emil Jelinek, the Mercedes trademark was registered. Jelinek was an entrepreneur and diplomat, a member of the supervisory board of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, but, in addition, he himself took an active part in auto racing under the pseudonym Monsieur Mercédès, and his team members were called Mercedes I and Mercedes II.

Emil Jellinek (06.04.1853/21.01/1918 – XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX)

Mercédès Adrienne Manuela Ramona is the full name of Jelinek’s daughter, who, as a sign of boundless love for her and being fascinated by Daimler racing cars, proposed his daughter’s name as a trademark and symbol of the company.

Here it is, whose name has been borne by Daimler for more than 100 years. Mercédès Adrienne Manuela Ramona Jellinek (16.09.1889/23.02.1929/XNUMX – XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX)

On June 24, 1909, Gottlieb Daimler's sons Paul and Adolf officially registered the three-pointed star as a trademark of DMG, and starting in 1910, the first stars appeared on the hoods and radiators of Daimler passenger cars. The three beams symbolized the use of Daimler engines on land, on water and in the air.

From the star of 1909 to the star of today

In 1926, Benz & Co Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik merged with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to form Daimler-Benz AG.

Since that time, Daimler-Benz AG began to actively develop and produce cars for the Wehrmacht, Tanks, ship and aviation engines.

Aircraft engine DB 601 A, 12-Zylinder-V-Motor mit Benzineinspritzung, 1937

In 1932 the company was the third largest automobile manufacturer in Germany after Opel and Auto Union.

At the end of 1932, only 9 people worked here; in 148 there were already 1928. In 14, orders from the Wehrmacht accounted for 281% of total sales of Daimler-Benz AG. By 1941, the workforce had grown to 76, of whom about 1944% were prisoners of war.

Truck Typ LGF 3000, 1940

With this, perhaps, we will close the historical page of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and move on to the events of today.

Mercedes-Benz Group AG today

I already wrote above that Mercedes-Benz Group AG is represented in all possible guises on all continents of the globe. In 2022, the turnover of the joint-stock company amounted to 150 billion euros. The number of employees of the concern is about 300 thousand people, of which more than 100 thousand work in Germany. By the end of the first half of 2023, net profit in Germany alone amounted to 77 billion euros - this is 13% higher than in 2022, and turnover increased by 6% to 76 billion euros. And this is only for six months and only in Germany!

Quite often you hear that Mercedes-Benz Group AG is no longer owned by the Germans. To put it mildly, this is not entirely true, although the Beijing Automotive Group BAIC actually owns 9,98% of the share capital. The other 9,69% belongs to Tenaciou3 Prospect Investment Limited, which in turn belongs to the Chinese automobile company, the Geely group, whose owner is Chinese Li Shufu.

The next 6,84% is owned by the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), and then the well-known company Blackrock with 5,37%. The remaining shares of the joint-stock group are in free circulation.

Mercedes-Benz AG operates as the division responsible for the development, production and sale of passenger cars and minivans.

Mercedes-Benz AG offers a range of passenger cars from the so-called compact segment (A and B classes) to the large segment (S-Class).

The group's brands include:

– Mercedes-Benz,
– Mercedes AMG,
– Mercedes Maybach,
– Smart.

Today, Mercedes-Benz AG produces 33 different classes or combinations of classes of passenger cars in all possible trim levels, not to mention products for the Bundeswehr.

Trucks are produced by Daimler-Truck AG, whose subsidiary is Daimler Buses GmbH, which produces buses.

Over the decades, Mercedes-Benz AG, changing names (Daimler-Benz to DaimlerChrysler then to Daimler), actively participated in numerous companies, buying them outright or determining their financial policies and development strategies. Here are some results of such actions.

1950 year

Unimog (short for Universal Motor Device) is a series of Mercedes-Benz vehicles manufactured by Daimler Truck. Designer Albert Friedrich. The Unimog was designed in 1945 and produced since 1949 by Gebr. Boehringer GmbH is a small, all-wheel drive truck with portal axles, and is used mainly in agriculture, forestry, the military and for municipal tasks.

It is operated in 160 countries!

Army Unimog S 404 (1955–1980)

1960 year

MTU (Motoren- und Turbinen-Union Friedrichshafen) is a trademark of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, one of the world's leading manufacturers of large diesel engines and complete drive systems. The company produces diesel engines for shipping, power utilities, heavy vehicles, military and railway equipment in the power range from 20 to 10 kW (000 to 27 hp).

In addition to its own products, MTU also sells Mercedes-Benz industrial engines for off-road equipment, as well as gas turbines from General Electric for ships and power plants.

Diesel MTU-20V 4000M93

1963 year

Porsche-Diesel-Motorenbau GmbH produced tractors with diesel engines between 1956 and 1963. The story began in 1938 with the idea of ​​a people's tractor. In July 1963, production was taken over by Mercedes-Benz Motorenbau GmbH.

Not only Volkswagen, but also a tractor can be popular

1973 year

Junkers Flugzeug-und Motorenwerke was created in 1936 (first merged with Dornier GmbH and became DASA, then renamed EADS, then today's Airbus). In 1973 it was transferred to Daimler-Benz.

Dornier 328–100

1974 year

Hanomag-Henschel-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH (HHF) is a manufacturer of trucks, formed in 1969 as a result of the merger of the truck manufacturers Hanomag and Henschel. Following Daimler-Benz AG's acquisition of all shares in HHF, the Hanomag-Henschel brand disappeared from the market in 1974; selected Hanomag-Henschel models continued to be produced under the Mercedes-Benz brand until 1978.

Hanomag-Henschel

1981 year

Western Star is an American truck manufacturer founded in 1967. In 1981, Western Star became an independent brand of the former truck and automobile manufacturer White Motor Company. Today Western Star is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG.

Western Star 4900

1989 year

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH (MBB) is one of the largest German aerospace and defense companies. In 1989, MBB was purchased by Deutsche Aerospace AG (DASA). Which, like AEG AG, was influenced by Mercedes-Benz AG.

In 1989, Deutsche Aerospace AG (DASA) was founded, in which the former Daimler-Benz AG consolidated its aerospace activities through the brands Dornier and MTU, as well as Telefunken Systemtechnik.

1993 year

In the truck sector, a collaboration with the American company Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) was added in April 1993. The goal was to develop, produce and sell a diesel engine for heavy trucks and buses. This cooperation led to the takeover of American engine manufacturer Detroit Diesel Corporation in 2000.

[Center]
Employees of the Mercedes-Benz - Detroit Diesel Corporation plant in Mannheim celebrate the production of the millionth inline six-cylinder engine used in heavy commercial vehicles in June 2018.

1995 year

Daimler-Benz AG buys Setra and merges its Mercedes-Benz bus division with Setra. The division then operated as EvoBus GmbH, and buses continued to be sold under the Setra and Mercedes-Benz brands.

The Setra brand comes from the word selbsttragend, which in German means self-supporting. In this case, we were talking about a monocoque body.

Setra 500-er Series

1997 year

In 1997, Freightliner Corporation, part of Daimler-Benz, took over the heavy-duty truck division of the American Ford Group.

On April 23, 1997, Sterling Truck Corporation was created.

Sterling a-Line

2005 year

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Limited (Mercedes AMG HPP, Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines until 2011) is a British-German manufacturer of Formula 1 racing engines and a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group. Mercedes AMG HPP was created in 2005 through the complete takeover of British engine manufacturer Ilmor. The Mercedes-AMG GmbH company itself was created on June 1, 1967.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (C197)

McLaren Group (until 2003 TAG McLaren Group, from 2015 to 2017 McLaren Technology Group) is a group of companies founded in 1985 and created by Ron Dennis around the McLaren Formula 1 team.

Mercedes at Formula 1

Everything that I wrote above is just a microscopic fraction of the immense amount of information that can be found about the giant under the name Mercedes-Benz AG. But I think that this is quite enough to understand that it is almost impossible to bring Mercedes to the “kaput” state.

Sale of branches in Germany

Well, now directly to the Mercedes that is supposedly dying and leaving Germany.

Below are just quotes from the German and Austrian press. I ask readers not to be very picky about the translation style. Sometimes a certain “stuffiness” of the text reflects a similar style of storytelling in the German press. This is especially true for Bild.

In addition, in German the word car (der Wagen) is masculine, automobile (das Auto) is neuter, Mercedes, as the name of a vehicle, is masculine, and joint stock company (die Aktiengesellschaft or AG) is feminine...

Bild on January 19, 2024 writes:

“The Stuttgart-based carmaker plans to sell all its showrooms in Germany. Now the group (Mercedes-Benz AG) wants to start negotiations with possible new operators.

The decision applies to all approximately 80 branches, “regardless of whether they are in rural or urban areas,” a Mercedes spokesman told BILD. This means: the branch at the company's headquarters in Stuttgart is also up for sale."

And now for information - Mercedes-Benz AG long ago sold all its foreign branches. That is, further sales and service are carried out by other companies - partners who have an agreement with the Germans. The same will happen in Germany.

Bild further writes:

“...none of the branches will be closed and the group (Mercedes-Benz AG) is not experiencing financial difficulties. Representative (Mercedes-Benz AG): “...the company-owned branches are profitable.”

Employees will not be laid off.

The branches up for sale employ 8 people. Stuttgarter Nachrichten confirmed that no layoffs are planned: “There will be no layoffs, we are committed to preserving jobs.”

The new owners will take over the management of 8 employees. Although it is possible that they will then earn less. According to Stuttgarter Nachrichten, employees may receive severance pay. In this way, Mercedes reduces personnel costs.”

Another piece of information - in Germany, employees of enterprises like Mercedes-Benz AG have simply luxurious labor contracts, so-called tariff agreements, developed under the strict control of the powerful trade union association IG Metall. When working conditions change or dismissal at the initiative of the company, the employee has the right to receive severance pay (Abfindung), usually one month's salary per year of work, but you can really bargain. Also paid, sometimes up to a year, a period of forced non-working time (Arbeitsfreistellung) or early retirement.

Bild continues:

“The group (Mercedes-Benz AG) has very clear requirements for potential buyers. Only those who are willing to invest, are open to dialogue with employees and have no economic problems are eligible to participate. Group spokesman: “We want to ensure the competitiveness and successful sales of Mercedes-Benz in Germany.”

The automaker is ruling out selling all its dealerships to just one company.
This is not the first time that the Stuttgart automobile concern has sold subsidiaries. The company has already carried out similar events in many other European countries.

The experience strengthened Mercedes-Benz in its decision, the statement said:

“All operations remain networked, customers receive excellent service and employees have contractual job security even after branch transfers.”

Mercedes-Benz branch in Stuttgart

Here's what the Austrian Puls24 reports:

“All car dealerships and workshops owned by Mercedes-Benz can be sold.
We do not plan to sell (branches) to purely financial investors, and the locations will not be closed,”

– the company said.

“Product sales have been and remain the central pillar of the success of Mercedes-Benz,” continued the representative of the automaker. – There are no plans to lay off employees or close branches. The company also strives for close coordination with the works councils of its subsidiaries. Job guarantees will also continue to apply to all workers participating in collective bargaining until 2029.

The Supervisory Board of Mercedes-Benz AG will consider the matter on Friday; The employee side must agree to the sale. According to the Handelsblatt, a fundamental agreement should be reached with the works councils of the subsidiaries by the summer.

There are no Mercedes branches in Austria. In recent years, Mercedes has already sold its subsidiaries abroad and only has its own showrooms in Germany. So there will be no changes for Austrian Mercedes customers.”

What is the purpose of selling branches?

German Manager Magazin writes:

“Ola Kälenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, is fighting to gain a leading position in the electric vehicle market. Through the sale of branches, he plans to improve the contact between sellers and customers and make it closer. The branches will be purchased by selected professional companies specializing in the field of machine sales, from whom Kälenius expects greater initiative in the interests of maximizing profits. And the freed-up Mercedes-Benz employees will be able to concentrate on the development and successful production of electric cars.”

Ola Kaellenius, Chief of Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Mercedes-Benz goes to the front

Well, starting from the history of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and understanding what is planned in the sales sector from Mercedes-Benz AG, and also taking into account that our site is after all “Military Review”, we cannot help but touch on the topic of cooperation Mercedes-Benz Group AG with the Bundeswehr and the military-industrial complex.

Five years ago, on January 31, 2019, Busines Insider published an article “Riding Mercedes to the Front: How VW and Daimler Are Participating in Arms Production.” Below are some excerpts from this article:

“When it comes to companies related to the military-industrial complex, many people first think of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann or Heckler und Koch. But the German car industry also makes money from sales weapons.

Daimler produces military equipment. Product ranges range from SUVs and small vans to Unimogs and heavy duty trucks. Mercedes-Benz has been supplying its vehicles to more than 100 countries for more than 80 years.”

Zetros 1833 A 4x4

“Daimler AG is a car manufacturer and the world's largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles,” Daimler explains in response to a question from Business Insider. – SUVs with protected driver cabins that protect crews are also used in crisis regions. We do not supply vehicles equipped with fire weapons.”

But here the guys from Daimler AG are clearly disingenuous. It is clear that these machines are armed by their colleagues from other companies and departments.

As an example, the company ACS Armored Car Systevs GmbH produces armored vehicles and vehicles for special forces based on products from Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

Products ACS Armored Car Systevs GmbH

Well, such oldies as the German gas car - Wolf (Mercedes-Benz 250 GD), are in service with the Bundeswehr and other armies in eighteen countries, plus the UN. Production of "Wolf" began in the early 90s.

Wolf

As a new, fresh replacement for the old “Wolves”, Mercedes-Benz is driven by a flock of next-generation cars: Enok, which translates as a raccoon dog and Caracal, an Afro-Asian wild cat. Enok (LAPV, Light Armored Patrol Vehicle) is an armored vehicle created specifically for the Bundeswehr and special operations forces, with a capacity of up to 10 people.

Enok

And I already wrote about “Caracal” in the article “Nursery for Caracals or reflections while driving a car” dated July 30, 2023. True, over the past time there have been some changes in the plans of the Rheinmetall concern, with which the peace-loving Mercedes-Benz closely cooperates. A representative of the concern said that the first batch of produced Caracal cars will be immediately sent to Ukraine. The Bundeswehr will wait...

caracal

Well, that’s probably all that could be written about the giant called Mercedes-Benz Group AG, condensed as much as possible within the framework of a relatively small review article.

Unfortunately, Germany today, from once a reliable and fairly friendly commercial and industrial partner of Russia in the post-war period, has turned into an outright enemy. This enemy in the industrial-industrial field, always associated with the military-industrial complex, is unusually strong and has centuries-old traditions and gigantic financial support from the current government.

Alas, one of the priority goals of the country's leadership is the fight against Russia. By any means possible. But everything in life sooner or later passes, ends, and the brilliant inventions of people with names like Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz, Wilhelm Maybach, Ferdinand Porsche belong to all of humanity today, and I am sure that sooner or later reason and truth will triumph.

Afterword

Speaking in the Bundestag on January 31, 2024, the chairman of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Merz, said:

“Putin’s Russia is not a partner for us, but an enemy...”

Thus, in a mirror openly designating Germany as an enemy of Russia.

And the enemy needs to be studied and known, both in big and small, with his past and present.

Comments

[Vladimir Vladimirovich Vorontsov]

“Mercedes – kaput?” —

***
- Mercedes - bam! ...
***

[dmi.pris1]

This is on our wishlist. In reality....read a very interesting article

[Stinging Nettle]

- Mercedes - bam! ...

The weather has arrived. Undoubtedly, this message will greatly please all the people sitting under shelling in Donetsk and Belgorod, and sitting without heating in many regions of Russia, and sitting in a cell for extremism such as wearing the wrong earrings.
Author, give me the idea to establish a new holiday on February 3 - the day of the collapse of Mercedes, instead of the decaying Western Valentine's Day. You will be rewarded with something, especially if you kick Mercedes.

[fif21]

Quote: Stinging_Nettle

Author, give me the idea to establish a new holiday on February 3 - the day of the collapse of Mercedes, instead of the decaying Western Valentine's Day.

I think that in patriotic ecstasy, one must not lose common sense.

[Stinging Nettle]

I think that in patriotic ecstasy, one must not lose common sense.

Grandma remembered how she was a girl.

[fa2998]

Of course, kaput! The GDP recently said that we are the first in Europe. Now all the poor Europeans will run after the Ladas in a herd. Unheard-of quality and unheard-of volumes. Together with Merce, the entire German auto industry will be kaput.

[Dmitry Ivanov_1991]

https://yandex.ru/video/preview/16422800194845435911
we are the FIRST in Europe.. I believe Putin’s words, and you?
PS: there is a picture on the Internet, I didn’t see it myself, because I didn’t watch the broadcast, but read the text.
The question on the screen of Direct Line with Putin hung for 10 seconds: “Why is your reality at odds with reality?”

[Alexey Lantukh]

The question on the screen of Direct Line with Putin hung for 10 seconds: “Why is your reality at odds with reality?”

Putin is the kind of person who will not deceive, but he may not even tell the truth.

[Deon59]

This is about pension reform. There is still denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine ahead.

[Akuzenka]

There, along with Merce, the entire German automobile industry will be kaput. laughing laughing

Glory to Vladimir Vladimirovich! However, if you look at the news, it seems that the West is about to fall under the pressure of its own anger and rage. We are waiting, sir!

[tsvetahaki]

Quote: Vladimir Vladimirovich Vorontsov

“Mercedes – kaput?” —

***
- Mercedes - bam! ...
***

“Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated”...
Or “while the fat man dries, the thin man will die”
Remember how many years and efforts it took to collapse the Soviet (Russian) economy - with all the enthusiasm of those collapsing. And yet here they are still fighting the collapse...
Let's see - these are "temporary objective difficulties of the transition period" or something serious in five years...

[Mister X]

They move production and sell to the retail chain. The headquarters will remain.

Question:
- Where will they pay taxes then?

I think Germany will lose this payer.
You will receive taxes only for cars sold in Germany. We discussed this issue with the Germans.
We came to this conclusion

[Maxim G]

Mercedes, like all German brands, are overrated.
But the current Mercedes doesn’t even look like a Mercedes in appearance, but rather like a Hyundai.

[Revolver]

Quote: Maxim G

But the current Mercedes doesn’t even look like a Mercedes in appearance, but rather like a Hyundai.

Fashion trends are the same. The laws of physics and, especially, aerodynamics are the same. The requirements for safety and fuel economy are the same. Even the design software, if not the same, is built on the same basic principles. And the production technologies, if not the same, are close. So there is nowhere to show individuality. Well, to some extent, lights, moldings, grilles can be designed "in style", and even then within the framework of aerodynamics and technology. In our time, the fashion for fins or angular contours simply cannot appear, because it spoils the aerodynamics, increases the weight, and does not provide adequate safety.

[Maxim G]

Peugeot and Citroen look much more strict than MB.

[Revolver]

Quote: Maxim G

Peugeot and Citroen look much more strict than MB.

I can't judge, the French couldn't hold on to the American market and left back in the 1980s. In the 1990s, I saw the remnants of the French on the used car market, they were offered very cheaply, but a mechanic I knew said that it was better not to mess with them, they were very expensive to maintain and repair. And their engines were weak for cars that positioned themselves as entry level luxury. Although, yes, they were beautiful for their time, you can't take that away.

[Maxim G]

As for the complexity and high cost of repairs, this is a myth; it exists in Russia too.
As for engines, Citroen and Peugeot, like Renault, are more of an entry-level premium, like Lexus, Volvo, or the entry-level versions of MB and BMW.
V6 - it was quite normal for this.

Although Citroens have hydroactive, this is of course super-comfort.
Well, the cars are simply more durable than German ones (good corrosion resistance due to high-quality galvanization).

[Sam Rimer]

Reno was mainly present. Even owned a Chrysler for a while.

[Luminman]

Quote: Maxim G

Peugeot and Citroen look much more strict than MB

But in my opinion, on the contrary, it’s very French playfully. But German cars, like Swedish ones, are rather restrained and pedantic...

[Maxim G]

Quote: Luminman

But in my opinion, on the contrary, it’s very playful in a French way. German cars, like Swedish ones, are rather restrained and pedantic...

Show me the discreetly pedantic Mercedes?

[Luminman]

Quote: Maxim G

Show me the discreetly pedantic Mercedes?

There are a great many photographs of them on the Internet. Take the trouble to look for yourself...

[Maxim G]

The text of your comment is too short and in the opinion of the site administration does not carry useful information.

And so it will do (c)

[Alien From]

Objectively a very good article

[AdAstra]

The French, for all their sophistication in fashion, riveted and sometimes riveted those ugly ones.

[Maxim G]

Are the second generation Peugeot 405, 605, 508 freaks?

[AdAstra]

There are exceptions. I do not argue. """"

[Maxim G]

Quote from AdAstra

There are exceptions. I do not argue. """"

There are also personal preferences. In design....
And to be honest, I can’t imagine that you don’t like both Peugeot and Citroen.
Maybe the 2000s generation - Peugeot 107, 206, 207, 307, 308, 407, 607?

[dmi.pris1]

I also don’t understand all this pathos around German cars. They are certainly strong, reliable.. But expensive to operate.

[Maxim G]

Quote from: dmi.pris1

I also don’t understand all this pathos around German cars. They are certainly strong, reliable.. But expensive to operate.

Not always reliable, it also depends on the specific model, configuration, engine, gearbox.

Well, prices have always been very high, even for the budget Russian-assembled Volkswagen Polo, if we take the period before the events of 2013-2014, and even more so 02.2024.
Compared to competitors.

[UA3QHP]

Well, prices have always been very high, even for the budget Russian-assembled Volkswagen Polo,

Prices for Volkswagen Polo in 2012 were quite affordable even in comparison with Ladas. But then there was a sharp rise in prices.

[Maxim G]

Quote: Ua3qhp

Prices for Volkswagen Polo in 2012 were quite affordable even in comparison with Ladas. But then there was a sharp rise in prices.

Solaris and Rio were cheaper, I just bought a 2012rd generation Kia Rio sedan in 3.

[UA3QHP]

Well, this year I bought polo and viburnum. More precisely, Polo in the spring of 2011 and Kalina in the spring of 2012. The configurations are of course different, but the prices are close.

[Maxim G]

Quote: Ua3qhp

Well, this year I bought polo and viburnum. More precisely, Polo in the spring of 2011 and Kalina in the spring of 2012. The configurations are of course different, but the prices are close.

Well, which car was cheaper than Rio/Solaris or Polo?
FV also has a 3-year warranty, and HC has a 5-year warranty.

[The Siberian barber]

And what does this guarantee give you?)) Link to an authorized technical center, inflated prices?))
C-class and Rio seem to be classmates, but in management they are incomparable, however))

[Maxim G]

Rio is B+ class.

Warranty - provides free replacement of elements in case of breakdown due to defects.

[Deon59]

2008 in Portugal Fiat Tipo 94 750 euro, Golf 3 94 2400.

[Maxim G]

Of the 94 cars, I would take a Peugeot 306 station wagon - with a 1,9 diesel engine (not turbo), and live in Europe.

[Deon59]

1,9 Volkswagen diesel with turbo and without super. I had an Opel Vivara 1,9 diesel, bought in 2012 with 112000 km on the clock, sold it after 2 years with 325000 km on the clock without a single breakdown.

[Maxim G]

Well, this is a commercial vehicle, stronger than just a passenger car.

[bk0010]

Quote from: dmi.pris1

Definitely strong and reliable.

Were. Mercedes also began to dabble in parameterization. It’s one thing when a cheap Chinese one accidentally breaks, and another thing when an expensive German one starts to fall apart as planned.

[nickname7]

Overrated or not overrated, but no one in Russia can boast of such a concern with huge profits and high salaries of employees. Mercedes' profits are greater than the entire oil and gas industry of the Russian Federation.

[fif21]

Quote: Maxim G

Mercedes, like all German brands, are overrated.
But the current Mercedes doesn’t even look like a Mercedes in appearance, but rather like a Hyundai.

No, it's not different! I have a Hyundai AH 35, though it's assembled in the Czech Republic (all the bells and whistles). How is it different? It's cheaper to service and replace consumables, the build quality is fantastic, the engine is 2 liters, 150 horsepower, a car for people. And they overpay for the brand, only show-offs There are plenty of them in Russia too!

[Maxim G]

Quote: fif21

No, it's not different! I have a Hyundai AH 35, though assembled in the Czech Republic (full stuffing). How is it different? It's cheaper to service and replace consumables, the build quality is fantastic, the engine is 2 liters, 150 horsepower, a car for people. And they overpay for the brand, only show-offs. There are plenty of them in Russia too!

Similar - the same Korean, both inside and outside (if you look from the outside).
By the way, HC, like Japanese cars, were overrated in the Russian Federation, just like the Germans.
Maintenance of the Bavarian troika is understandably more expensive; these are premium brands that cannot be compared with HC, Toyota, or FV.

[Sergei_Bely]

Mercedes, like all German brands, are overrated.
But the current Mercedes doesn’t even look like a Mercedes in appearance, but rather like a Hyundai.

What do we have with AvtoVAZ? Is he underrated or also overrated?
And then after they started trying to sell Vesta for 1.5 million without everything, well, I don’t know anymore...

[Dutchman Michel]

On VO they have already buried "Mercedes"! But the article is interesting, plus to the Author!

[nikolaevskiy78]

So the author, on the contrary, just refutes these alarmist statements that they say “Mercedes is leaving Germany”, etc. And they actually sounded quite often in our press last week.

[odometer]

Well, the Darkest One said the end of the auto industry in Germany...

[Pete mitchell]

Quote: Dutchman Michel

interesting article, plus to the author

definitely into karma.

There are no speed limits on highways (Autobahn). Besides Germany, these are ...., Bhutan, .... I don’t know if there are roads there that allow driving at speeds above 130 km/h.

In Bhutan, and at a speed of 50 km, most roads are scary - there, if anything, it’s easier to paint over than to scrape off. IN Country of the Gods two fears: driving on roads and Paro airport.

[75 Sergey]

We need to end Ukraine, but we don’t have the strength and resources!

[Cicerist98]

@75Sergey: "We need to finish with Ukraine, and we don't have the strength and resources!"

Your political leadership has not had the right mentality for victory, that is the real problem - not strength and resources.

[75 Sergey]

Your political leadership did not have the right mentality to win, that is the real problem - lack of strength and resources.

Let's just say that they have a mentality, only a different one, which does not coincide with the mentality of the bulk of the Russian population.
Now the situation has developed that the capitalists are on one side of the front and on the other.
Our government lays flowers at the grave of Yeltsin, who was “unpopular” with 95% of Russian residents, this says a lot.

[Murmur 55]

Question for the author, he writes that he loves Russia with all his heart and is sensitive to the mistakes and mistakes of the “counter-battery” fight of our propaganda and gives us information on the concern. And my question is the following: how many ordinary Deutsche people, having watched the next Russophosian news release, for example with information that in Russia there are empty shelves or the Internet using coupons, will rush to check whether this is TRUE, or maybe 99% percent will say, you see E.S. and the USA are on the right track Moscow will soon surrender, will the average Deutsche figure out what is truth and what is fiction???

[dmi.pris1]

And this also applies to us. Very many who believe in the ultimate truth. In the form of the media

[TANKISTONE]

Murmur 55
(ALEXANDER) ...how many ordinary Deutsche people watched another Russophobic news broadcast...

Dear Alexander, your comment is of the "myself" category. The author (Evgeny) showed facts from the history and present of the concern. And tried to explain: why you should not be a stupid consumer of information. In my opinion, this issue of global capital was well commented below
tralflot1832
(Andrey S.)

[Blacksmith 55]

Rapot 55, an ordinary Deutsche, basically an ordinary citizen and consumer. I think that in other countries the majority of the population can be attributed to this category as well. They are not very interested in the war on the outskirts. Besides, there is no real freedom of speech and press, as there probably isn’t in any country. As an example, I can give you a report from Mariupol a couple of weeks ago on ZDF television. This is the second program on German television. There the reporter said that a third of the population still lives in the city, there is electricity, water, and internet. Although previous reports claimed that the city doesn’t exist, just ruins. How much dirt was poured on this reporter and on ZDF. But the dirt was poured from politicians at all levels, and people from the outskirts also spoke up, expressing dissatisfaction. The truthful report was pecked to death. Believe me, the people themselves are against the war, but the politicians don’t really listen, they have essentially been cut off from the people for a long time. They live on another planet. Although yes, they admit that Russia is the aggressor, it started this war, but they don’t want to know about the reasons for the war or they’re simply not interested in knowing. Fachmann, it’s written interestingly, continue. Thank you.

[expert]

Hallo Peter, woher kommen Sie?
Your comment is absolutely true. You write: “...politicians don’t really listen, they have essentially been cut off from the people for a long time. They live on another planet.” The farmers' demonstrations (Bauern) have ended and the budget has been adopted without changes, subsidies to farmers will be reduced. The guys in the Bundestag don't care.
Thank you for appreciating my work.
Best regards

[Blacksmith 55]

Kreis Euskirchen. The text of the comment is short.

[expert]

Hi,
liebe Grüße aus Frankfurt am Main.

[expert]

Dear Alexander!
Unfortunately, you are right. The overwhelming majority of Germans perceive what German information and propaganda sources feed them as the truth. For example, 55-60% of the population completely trusts television. And regarding Russia and the SVO, I think even more, Germans do not look for other sources, with rare exceptions. In addition, they are afraid.

[aiden]

Unfortunately, you are right. The vast majority of Germans perceive what German information and propaganda sources leak to them as truth

Not certainly in that way. There is such a source of information as Youtube. On which videos are published from German (and not only German) reporters who specially come to Russia and the North-East Military District zone (territory controlled by Russia). And these guys show a reality that is different from what the state broadcast channels show. And Youtube does not block this one. And if you look at the comments under their video, you can understand that there are a lot of adequate people in the world

[Knell wardenheart]

Do you know this from the category “how many people from the Russian Federation read VO as a percentage of the population, and how many of them will read this material?” .
People who, like chicks, gobble up what their mother brought in her beak are the absolute, overwhelming majority from everywhere. Simply because the sea of ​​facts happening every day has become very large, and “checking” each of these facts is half a day’s work spent on daily nonsense. Whoever has this time can check if there is nothing else to do. Not all Germans generally watch the news and react to it in any way. My buddy has been living in Germany for about 20 years now - so after work he is not interested in much except music, guitar, beer with sausages and games on Steam. Despite the fact that a person is a reader, he prefers to read something popular science and is not at all interested in news and sucking up propaganda.
There the public, excited by every bunch of propaganda, is a public similar to the most cavernous commentators on VO.

[expert]

Dear Knell!
The Germans have a proverb, similar to the Russian one. where is the chicken grain by grain...
“Kleinvieh macht auch Mist” literally (in a good way), the little beast poops too. This is how, little by little, through VO, someone will receive new information and the overall picture will begin to look a little different.
This was my goal.

[Pete mitchell]

Quote: Murmur 55

Will the average Deutsche figure out what is truth and what is fiction???

I’ll risk answering for the author: it won’t, there are enough current problems of its own. I talked to Brit today: the vast majority for all the good against all the bad. Oh, I didn't know that. Oh, but they don’t tell us...

[Revolver]

I will add to the article that Mercedes has never owned a single dealership in the USA. The laws are such. Car dealers are required to be independent from manufacturers to create and maintain competition, and sales from the manufacturer directly to end consumers are prohibited.

[Luminman]

Quote: Nagan

Sales from the manufacturer directly to end consumers are prohibited

In neighboring Mexico there is a plant that assembles Mercedes, which go directly to the American consumer.

[Revolver]

There is a plant in Mexico. In Alabama too. But the cars go only and exclusively to dealers. They would like to sell directly, but the law does not allow it, and the dealers have such a lobby in Congress that you can’t get through. Musk tried to get permission to sell Teslas from the plant. But he failed too.

[fif21]

Quote: Nagan

Car dealers are required to be independent from manufacturers to create and maintain competition, and sales from the manufacturer directly to end consumers are prohibited.

American! You are not like other people Although in Russia they copy a lot from the USA, but with such a Russian vision that it becomes scary.

[bk0010]

Quote: Nagan

and sales from the manufacturer directly to end consumers are prohibited.

What disgusting!

[AdAstra]

And we must admit that these are sound laws.

[Revolver]

The closest thing I know to selling a car from the factory is the Volvo Overseas Delivery program. You fly to Sweden, get a car of American standard straight from the factory. You can even agree on the option of monitoring your specific car on the conveyor from the bare body to the finished car. You drive around Europe, I don’t remember how many miles, bring the car to one of the permitted ports, from where you fly home. A couple of weeks later you meet the car in the port of Newark, NJ. It costs about a third less than a new one, not counting the flights and travel around Europe. The trick is that the duty on importing a used car is much lower than on importing a new one, which is where the savings come from.
But even in this case, all the paperwork goes through the dealer, from which he naturally makes a profit. In this case, he makes a profit because all the issues with the schedule and customs clearance are resolved without the buyer's participation.

[your1970]

Quote from AdAstra

And we must admit that these are sound laws.

That is, it is definitely necessary outbid between the car plant and the buyer?? However...
You have strange ideas about the “soundness of laws”...

[Mikhail Maslov]

A good informative article, I read it with pleasure. Thanks to the author. I agree, and you need to know and study the enemy’s statement. As for relations with the Russian Federation, yes, we are on opposite sides and it was like that after the Great Patriotic War, we’ll see.

[expert]

Dear Michael!
Thank you for your positive rating! We here really hope that today's idiocy on the part of Germany towards Russia will someday end. I wish it was sooner...
Best regards

[Mikhail Maslov]

I invite you to continue, not necessarily something sensational. The ordinary brings you closer and gives you reason to think. And you do it well.

[expert]

Thank you Michael!
I will continue.
Best regards

[AA17]

Excellent article.
Very informative.
This is for Kremlin “analysts” to read.

Thank you for the article.
Write more often about modern Germany.

[expert]

Dear Alexander!
Thank you for rating. I’ll be honest, I wrote it with pleasure. Somehow I got hooked on this topic.
I also want to write about what the greens are doing in Germany. I'll try to master it.
Best regards

[Li17]

It is immediately obvious that the Author has laid everything out with German pedantry! It is clear that the Germans will not destroy their auto industry and Mercedes in particular according to our model! The main thing is that they do not DEPEND on components, unlike us, everything is our own and reliable. Another aspect, for us a high-quality and beautiful Mercedes car is very expensive, and in our time it is unlikely that they will buy it, and even more so service it at the official dealers. I am not the only one who sent the official MOT when I found out that an oil change with drinking coffee on the couch costs 27 rubles, and this is for a people's Renault (in my very respectable centers it is 000 rubles, a coffee machine is available by the way, so plus 400 rubles)! Therefore, it has become unprofitable for the Germans to maintain the brand not only here... And so the factories will be intact and working!

[expert]

Dear namesake!
Thank you for your comment. I would like to add that Mercedes is not available to everyone in Germany either. The company announced that it will focus on luxury cars in the future. That is, the line of “A” and “B” classes has been discontinued, and the rest, starting with “C” class, even without additional options, are very expensive. “Naked” C-class starts at 47000 euros. And if you equip it for the soul, 80-90 thousand, and it’s not AMG!
But the factories really work, and not only in Germany. My new C-Class was built in South Africa. I was afraid they wouldn't deliver. Gone...
Regards

[Stas157]

Oh, I don't envy Germany. An industrial collapse without our gas was supposed to happen there a year ago, and the emigrants destroyed everything long ago! Plus, everything is terribly expensive! How do they live there, the poor? And now it's Mercedes' turn. And how has it managed to hold out until now... It's a different story with us! AvtoVAZ is on the rise! Selling cars is so profitable that any Chinese junk car is bought up for millions! Was that even possible a couple of years ago?

[man]

Oh, I don't envy Germany. There, a year ago, an industrial collapse should have occurred without our gas, and the emigrants destroyed everything a long time ago! Plus everything is terribly expensive! How do they live there, poor people? And now it’s Mercedes’ turn. And how did he still hold out until now...
Don’t worry, Putin said yesterday that he would help the German auto industry

[AdAstra]

"Mercedes Ours"?

[man]

Quote from AdAstra

"Mercedes Ours"?

Of course, I moved to Uryupinsk today

[Corvair]

A more or less automaker without a military contract - this does not happen, any car is a priori a dual-use thing.

[tralflot1832]

Fachmann. I read your article with interest. Many facts were unexpected for me. Especially that the Chinese Li Shufu is a shareholder, that's where the legs, or rather wheels, of the premium class Geely come from. A neighbor drove me to work - for me, this is space. Of course, you can get to the bottom of it by counting the stitches and upholstery of the interior. But I'm not sure that you can't do without a microscope. The funny thing is that the autopilot is optional, banned in Russia (for now), according to the owner, he has already tested it. Well, you know Russians, they drive on roads with markings, but on a snowy road, you need to check. And where did the Saudis go from the shareholders? With the sale of assets, Mercedes just wants to reach a new level. In the automotive world, the "greens" took power and are very aggressively promoting their idea that a car should only be on batteries. Do you want to have a classic (internal combustion engine) - stand against the wall, we'll shoot you with taxes. There's a problem in the US too, Americans don't want to get into battery-powered F 150 series pickups. Honestly, I don't even know that Mercedes is going anywhere. The empire is just starting a reorganization, otherwise the greens will gobble it up, they have no conscience. Trillions of money are at stake with this energy transition. According to Western greens, the losers will pay and repent for being such bad guys who pollute the air. Thanks again for the article, these appear on VO, but I'd like to see them more often. Creative success! p.s. I’m amazed how long the world’s first driver lived.

[expert]

Andrey, welcome!
Thank you for appreciating my work.
Frankly speaking, in the process of preparing the material I myself received a lot of interesting new information. As for the Greens, you are right, this is some kind of madhouse.

[tralflot1832]

It’s time to put the green ones against the wall, they are climbing everywhere in the west, this is truly something unimaginable. Now they are attacking something sacred in Norway, LNG plants. Pipeline gas turns out to be somewhat better than LNG in terms of carbon footprint.

[Aviator_]

It's time to put the green ones against the wall

Agree. And further:

[expert]

Dear Sergey!
Here in Germany, this little one seems to have already been written off. People are simply terrified of the greens. The girl is waste material.
Regards

[Aviator_]

Here in Germany, this little one seems to have already been written off.

It's clear. But this used rubber product has already fulfilled its function.

[expert]

And how!
For a couple of years the whole country was on edge. It got to the point of absurdity, the media reported: “German Chancellor Frau Merkel met with (herself!) Greta Thumberg. The meeting lasted more than 1,5 hours. Greta, a dropout and a bit of “that one,” allowed Merkel to listen to her...

[tralflot1832]

Sergei, Greta is a brilliant idiot, this is the first time in history that someone can manipulate their stupidity - $3 billion. Artists, idiots don’t count. Talent can easily go into circulation.

[Aviator_]

Sergey, Greta is a brilliant idiot,

Andrey, I think it was used in the dark, to help all these green ones (Green Penis & Co). And here is the opinion of a holy fool, offended by God. It had an effect on the average person.

[tralflot1832]

Sergey. Greta’s mom and dad didn’t sit idly by; Greta has a pretty serious headquarters, managers and lawyers. But her time has passed, although today there may be 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London.

[Aviator_]

Greta has a fairly serious staff, managers and lawyers.

So who would doubt it - only a herd of PR actors carrying out social government orders can promote a village fool like this.

[tralflot1832]

I liked her reconnaissance in Oslo, the Sami sat for almost a year in a tent near the royal palace, seeking an audience with the King of Norway (the Norwegian Sami have such a right, which is connected with wind power plants on the Sami reindeer pastures). In the morning Greta shows up with a support group and, lo and behold, the king immediately accepts them and decides the issue positively, all the windmills go to hell from the Sami reindeer pastures. Greta is the mother of all Norwegian Sami and the king is on the front pages of Norwegian newspapers. Circus.

[dim13]

the Smart company is part of the Mercedes structure, Geely owns it in equal shares with Mercedes, but the technology is still Swedish (from Volvo) plus Lotus (design, tuning of the chassis and engines)

[ism_ek]

Speaking in the Bundestag on January 31, 2024, the chairman of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Merz, said:

“Putin’s Russia is not a partner for us, but an enemy...”

Well, what can I say.... It’s a pity that the Germans vote for politicians who “are not responsible for the market.”
Does this miracle really understand what a war with Russia is? Nuclear war? Does he accept the fact that millions of his voters will burn alive within minutes?
If the Germans vote for such politicians.... Well, here we can only shrug our shoulders...
But I only heard about Mercedes from an article. It’s even parallel to me. We don't care about cars at all. Trucks, buses - this is a topic, well, the world has not come together like a wedge on them.

[78bor1973]

The best service is Mercedes! - You should be happy that you breathe this air with us! I will be glad if this company falls apart, which is unlikely.

[Fangaro]

Thanks to the author for the excursion into the history of the brand!
Massive headlines about “these people are destroying their own industry” appear when a person who is trusted by the majority and feared by many speaks about it.
Why did the MB curtail production here... Did the MB have any options? This is not a Russian company. I sincerely believe that everyone who built factories here would like to continue making money and not lose either their invested money or their reputation. But politicians outside our country set conditions, and then laws are written to suit them. And capitalists can only choose. Either here or not here.
About Mercedes and Hyundai... And about overvaluation...
Dzhambul.
For me, in relation to the article - Mitsubishi. )

[Volunteer Marek]

An extremely honest article. The accents are placed absolutely correctly. And, most importantly, the conclusion is completely correct and honest.

[Skif3216]

“I have already written more than once that, having lived in Germany for quite a long time and loving Russia with all my heart, although I have not lived even a day in modern Russia,” yes, the author, it is better to love your homeland from afar, so that it cannot reciprocate your feelings.

[expert]

Skif3215: "Yes, the author, it is better to love your homeland from afar, so that it cannot reciprocate your feelings."
Dear Maxim! I hope you know that on August 6, 1990, Boris Yeltsin, speaking in Kazan, said: “Take as much sovereignty as you can swallow.” So Moldova, where I lived and worked for 20 years, happily became independent. Just by miracle, in 1995 I managed to leave for Germany. My homeland is the USSR, which does not exist, specifically, the island of Sakhalin.

[Skif3216]

Yeltsin did a lot of bad things, but it’s unlikely that he chose the place where someone would move to, obviously not to Sakhalin, it was really sad there in the 90s, but at least Kaliningrad would have been possible, it’s also almost Europe, especially in those “glorious” times. And so it strongly reminds me of many of my friends who, after the borders opened, left for Germany, from quite continental Russia, they live in Munich, Frankfurt and somewhere around 2010 on May 9 they started putting stickers on their cars with the inscription “we can do it again”, they speak German with difficulty, although the children have already learned the language. I was with them in 2019, they say they miss their homeland, I invited them to move, I will help with the paperwork, they say Russia has blossomed, especially since the World Cup has just ended, there was something to brag about, but they didn’t go, they stayed in decaying Europe where LGBT is raging, and after February 2022 they even refused to come to visit through Turkey, as they said "just in case, until everything calms down."

[Ash]

Quote: tralflot1832

Especially that the shareholders are Chinese Li Shufu, that’s where the legs come from, or rather the wheels of Geely are premium class. A neighbor gave me a ride to work - for me this is space.

This is something like: I heard a ringing, but I don’t know where it is. Gili also owns a Volvo, just for a moment. And about the contribution to Mercedes (and vice versa), the above-mentioned gentleman has long said that he is only interested in German technologies in the field of electric vehicles, so the lines in your neighbor’s car that interest you are purely Chinese, not even from Volvo.

[bear cub]

Thank you for a reliable and comprehensive article, it was nice to have breakfast while reading it.
This article is somewhat inconsistent with the official propaganda, in which Germany has long been frozen, all car factories are already closed, they cannot produce any weapons and they are being eaten by blacks on the streets.
Well, we just like to read that our neighbor has it worse, right? Because most people won't check it out in person anyway.

[your1970]

Quote: Little Bear

Thank you for a reliable and comprehensive article, it was nice to have breakfast while reading it.
This article is somewhat inconsistent with the official propaganda, in which Germany has long been frozen, all car factories have already been closed,

Since the article is reliable, did you notice the reduction in salary and social package as a sign of the heyday of Mercedes?

[Glagol1]

The author definitely should not write on economic topics. According to him, Mercedes' profit amounted to 77 billion with a sales volume of 76 billion!!! Cool! This is about the same as saying “the weight of this aircraft is 76 tons, including 77 tons of fuel...”

[expert]

Dear Andrew!
Hat off! Comma, comma missing. Profit 7,7. The final result for 2023 is 13,64 billion.

[Knell wardenheart]

Thanks for the interesting article, Author!
Well, I’m not surprised that our noisy propaganda has once again run ahead of the cart..
We must not get hung up on ridiculing the real and imagined failures of our opponents, but make our auto industry competitive and modern. Why should we care about the failures of other people's business? We should be interested in successes, we should take them into account.

[AdAstra]

If you wanted to write “our” successes, then they do not exist and are somehow not visible even on the horizon. And it’s easiest to write about the fact that “everything is bad” for them; it’s not for you to fix your own abs.

[Maks1995]

The problem is, IMHO, that there are normal media outlets - for example, economic ones.
According to them, Merc's business is quite normal, and in 23 he produced only himself - several times more cars than the whole of Russia.
And there is a hurray-media, where Mersu is kaput, Germany is kaput, Europe is kaput, and Europeans are about to go to Kaliningrad and Siberia to work...
That is, there is truth and there is lies.
And unfortunately, people in Russia are deliberately taught to lie.
It’s in the West that you can read reports - how much military programs cost, what problems (for example F35 or Abrams) We have PR on the star, and something completely different in reality...
I don’t compare with foreign countries, because why judge them by our hurray-press?

[your1970]

Quote: Max1995

According to them, Merc's business is quite normal, and in 23 he produced only himself - several times more cars than the whole of Russia.

But at the same time, it cuts salaries and social packages. This is definitely a sign of prosperity, as is the loss of the large Russian market

[kit88]

There are things in this world that will outlive both people and states.
Mercedes is one of them.
Owner since 2013.

[expert]

Dear Alexander!
As the author of the article, based on personal experience, I join your assessment of Mercedes-Benz cars.
I bought my first W202 C220 in 2000, then there were W203 C350 CDI 4matic, W204 C300 4matic, W205 C250 4matic, and since 2022 the latest W206 C300. And despite the fact that the W202 turned out to be very, in terms of quality, problematic, all the subsequent ones were simply magnificent. Especially the current W206. This one is simply space!!! But the prices, unfortunately, have also risen to cosmic heights.
Below are photos of my first and last (favorite)

Best regards

[Outsider V.]

In 1926, Benz & Co Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik merged with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to form Daimler-Benz AG.

Since that time, Daimler-Benz AG began to actively develop and produce cars, tanks, ship and aircraft engines for the Wehrmacht.

Until 1935, the German armed forces were called the Reichswehr. And only after 1935 - by the Wehrmacht.

[expert]

Dear Alexander!
Of course you are right. But I could not, in an already lengthy article, explain all the details. But now I’ll add:
The military force that emerged from the Reichswehr in 1935 during the Nazi era until 1945 was the Wehrmacht. Then there was the Federal Border Guard: from 1951 to the present day, it is considered the predecessor of the Bundeswehr.

[Outsider V.]

Thank you for your quick and dignified response to my comment.

[Glagol1]

They made piston engines for Messers. They worked with great diligence - tens of thousands of pieces...

[Dekabrist]

During the week before last, the Russian media, literally competing with each other, often citing German sources, spread the topic of the collapse of the Mercedes concern.

So “analysts” like the local Staver have a very large population.

[16112014nk]

the remnants of the French on the used car market were offered very cheaply, but a mechanic I knew said that it was better not to mess with them, they were very expensive to maintain and repair.

Auto experts say: Don't buy cars with the letter "F":
Ford
Fiat
and Fse French.

[expert]

Dear Nikolai!
Honestly made me laugh. Thank you. But seriously, Mercedes-Benz, in cooperation with Renault-Nissan, since 2009, has produced OM607 engines for the “A” and “B” line of Mercedes-Benz classes. Later, OM622 and OM626 (from autumn 2014) for the W205 C class line. In 2018, this cooperation was discontinued.

[mz]

[Quote
16112014nk (Nikolay)
]Car experts say: Do not buy cars of brands starting with the letter “F”:
Ford
Fiat
and FSE French.[/quote]
And what, it’s interesting that the same “auto experts” would say about “Mercedes” that have French (Renault) 1.5 and 1.6 liter diesel engines (Mercedes has been installing such engines for 10 years now, because there are no analogues of their own or they are worse in some ways - then the parameters)?

[geologist]

Good article! I noticed that this company has some kind of magical passion for the number 3. The first cars were tricycles. Among the founders were three geniuses of motorization Daimler, Benz, Maybach. As a sign, three rays - three elements water, air, surface. As for the collapse, it happens before the revival. There are rumors about a ban on cars with internal combustion engines in Europe and this means that the old warm, "fragrant", humming self-propelled carriages will not be, as sad as it is, and electric trains will appear everywhere. Consequently, many will have to retrain or leave. The age of steam in the auto industry was short-lived, although steam did not give up its positions at sea or in energy for a long time. The age of gasoline cars, perhaps, will also gradually leave the roads, but at sea, in the army and aviation will rule for a long time. By the way, I also have a Mercedes, or rather its Korean twin - SsangYong Kyron

[expert]

Dear Dmitry!
The European Parliament, damn them, adopted on June 08, 2022 a decision to ban the sale of cars and the registration of only NEW and only passenger cars with internal combustion engines.
That is, the entire huge fleet of cars, trucks and buses already registered will continue to be used.
By the way, although sales of electric vehicles have increased in Germany, they are doing catastrophically (for Euroidiot parliamentarians) poorly. So let's wait and see who dies faster, the Shah or the donkey...
Thanks for the comment!

[ycuce234-san]

Mercedes-Benz 250 GD

By the way, how does it compare to gas?

[expert]

Greetings!
I myself have not driven a Wolf. In its basic version it had:
Engine capacity (diesel): 2,5 l
Maximum speed: 123 km/h
Range on one tank: 600 km

[runway-1]

I have already written more than once that, having lived in Germany for quite a long time and loving Russia with all my heart, although I have not lived even a day in modern Russia,

Wonderful words and you seem to be a happy person.
ps And the article is generally not bad...

[expert]

Dear V.P.!
Thank you touched. I’ll be honest, in my twilight years I can frankly confirm that I’m happy. I worked here for 27 years, and have been retired for almost a year now. Over the years, a foreign land has become home. That’s why it hurts that people here are so angry at Russia.
Best regards

[WIS]

Russian media, literally competing with each other

kaput

there is nowhere to spit at this ghost of decaying capitalism
PS: the campaign, however, is pre-election..., you need to surface on “someone’s” yourself

[Nikolaevich_8]

“By the end of the first half of 2023, net profit in Germany alone amounted to 77 billion euros, which is 13% higher than in 2022, and turnover increased by 6% to 76 billion euros.”
Nothing is clear but very interesting

[expert]

Dear Stanislav!
Comma, comma missing. Profit 7,7. The final result for 2023 is 13,64 billion.
Thank you for carefully reading the material!

[Jager]

By the way, premium and most luxurious cars in the Jaguar line were produced under the Daimler brand. The history of the English Daimler is very interesting. But the history of the English Daimler ended in 2008. And the English produce cars no worse than the German ones. I say this as a Jaguar owner.

[expert]

Of course, of course Andrey, there is no dispute. My Mercedes communicates with me through Mercedes me. I asked him: “What do you think about BMW?” He replied: “The same as you, otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting here.” To the same question about AUDI, he replied: “They are our good friends and also make good cars.” I'll ask him about Jaguar on Monday.
Have a nice trip and hello Jaguar!

[Iris]

Competently, reasoned, convincing. Great stuff. Thank you!

[expert]

Thank you, it’s very nice when the work you put your soul into is positively assessed.

[faterdom]

The Germans know how to work, the Italians know how to cook, the French know how to drink and hold meetings.
So we will take the first two categories captive; we can take Daimler and equipment to a place where we can save on cooling.
But the French are not needed. Or send them to Niger for the mines.

[Iris]

It remains to remember Zhvanetsky: “If you haven’t seen any other cars, then ours are like this!”

[Warlord]

It’s too early to rejoice, Mercedes will outlive us all))
There are still 123 bodies in use, and 124. When the Maybach premium sedan was released (the same S class, with a slight restyling). At the same time, they released the S class 221 body, which quickly gained popularity. Thus, he became a direct competitor to Maybach, in his own family. This is when the younger brother displaces the older one. It took a lot of money and time to create the Maybach. In addition, external competitors also did not sleep, and released Rolls Royce Phantom, Bentley Continental, etc. The paradox is that the generation of designers of Mercedes 123, 126, 124 and 140 bodies were children of war who suffered humiliation and shame. But they retained their conscience and honor, and produced cars efficiently and reliably. Alas, today's cars don't last longer than 1 maintenance. The only exception is the Japanese.

[Iris]

And who is happy? But remember Buick, Dodge, Plymouth, Pontiac, etc. This was the golden age of the world automobile industry, and where are they now? China is advancing with such speed and power that I would not be surprised if the Germans eventually leave. Yes, not today, but it cannot be ruled out that either the Chinese will buy them, or the German auto industry will change the nameplates altogether....

[PILOT]

Thanks to the author for the test article! I myself studied Hoch Deutschland at school and university. In his youth he drove a Mercedes with big eyes E door. 2.6 V6-test!!!! Now I’m driving a Passat B7 with a mileage of 93000, I changed 2 silent blocks and front brakes for 90 t.km, spark plugs are great!!! The house is built in the fachwerg style, a chalet-test! Long-haired, saddle-backed German male - trillion times
TEST!!!!))))) J.V. STALIN would say - the Scholtz come and go, but the German people remain!!! All the best!!! Russia is strong forever!!! Victory will be ours!!!! Hallelujah!

[your1970]

Quote from warlord

Alas, today's cars don't last longer than 1 maintenance. The only exception is the Japanese.

There were 6 Toyota owners at work - clean "wheels" from 1990-1996. They exchanged them for new European Toyotas in 2006. One was sold after a year, the rest after 2-3.
Everyone swore and spat at the new ones.
The one who sold it a year later went after my friend who bought the old one from him and whined, “Well, sell it back!!”

[Esaul]

I don’t really care about Mercedes, I’m more interested in another question - when the domestic automotive industry will begin to develop. And I don’t mean sticking nameplates on Chinese cars, but creating domestic cars from scratch.

[Magician Goodwin]

The Germans have Scholz to thank. And bow to the Americans more often.

[Rakitin]

All this is great, but in terms of units, the concern's production of cars has decreased by half over the last 7 years. But yes, the prospects are fantastic :-)

[expert]

Dear Sergey!
Well, you've exaggerated things a little.
General production
in 2016 3041371 pieces
in 2023 2491600 pieces
that is, 18,08% less. This is, of course, not 2 times.
Of which, production of passenger cars
in 2016 2235352
in 2023 2043800
that is, a drop of 8,57%
This is pure statistics.
Best regards

[AdAstra]

Interesting. """"""

[geologist]

China has left all the leaders of the automobile industry far behind. If the USA, Japan or Germany could compete with each other within 8-9 million sales, then they have nothing to say against 26 million cars per year. Perhaps India will be able to compete with China in the future. As for Russia, we simply have no one to sell new cars to because of the low purchasing power of the population, and therefore our auto industry cannot develop for objective reasons.

[Mobik]

Well, Mercedes is not yet a premium car, but cost optimization is the first sign.

[Eduard Egorov]

Quote:
Speaking in the Bundestag on January 31, 2024, the chairman of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Merz, said:
“Putin’s Russia is not a partner for us, but an enemy...”

That is, they liked it when Russia supplied only cheap energy and resources, but at the same time they did not want to share with technologies. Now I am 100% sure that Putin did everything right, this lawlessness that only enriched the West, he should have stopped it long ago, back in 2000, and not 2014.

Quote:
Thus, in a mirror openly designating Germany as an enemy of Russia.

Russia does not consider Germany an enemy! It is they who have designated themselves as enemies for us.

[el_ninio163]

Author, brilliant article. Very informative!
Thank you.
One comment: By the end of the first half of 2023, net profit in Germany alone amounted to 77 billion euros, up 13% on 2022, while turnover increased by 6% to 76 billion euros. And this is only for six months and only in Germany.
Probably 7.7. billion, since for the entire 2023 profit amounted to 36 billion. And for the entire Mercedes group.

[expert]

Yes Yes exactly!
When I switched the keyboard from Russian to German, I lost the comma. The editor didn't notice...
Thank you for your attention and rating.
Best regards

[malyvalv]

But I think that this is quite enough to understand that it is almost impossible to bring Mercedes to the “kaput” state.

To understand whether it is possible or not, there is not enough data on the real debt burden of Mercedes. Judging by the sales of branches, it is still quite significant. And then we'll see.

[Gorynych_1977]

Is this work an attempt to rewrite "War and Peace" or an advertising opus? I just didn’t understand a lot of the letters.... As they say, we started for health, ended for peace... I demand a continuation about Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Toyota and Dodge

[arnulla]

If you listen to our propaganda, then Mercedes is kaput)
Then the Russian auto industry will rot in the grave...

[aiden]

Quote: Esaul

I don’t really care about Mercedes, I’m more interested in another question - when the domestic automotive industry will begin to develop. And I don’t mean sticking nameplates on Chinese cars, but creating domestic cars from scratch.

Never. It is not possible to completely localize the production of all components in Russia.

[evgen1221]

The article lacks a schedule of Mercedes’ income from 22 to 23 at least. There you will see that there is a drop. Hence the sale of salons, they save money. And the main thing is that Mercedes cannot pay the previous salary, which is what it says - the salary from the social packages will fall. So the conclusion is that they are closing gaps in the budget and getting rid of costly assets whenever possible, which if all the rules were in place they would not have done. There is a crisis and it would be good to look at the sales chart for two years in the EU for Mercedes, there is probably a decline there too.

[expert]

Dear Eugene!
Thank you for your comment. I initially tried not to overload the article with numbers and graphs. The goal was not statistics, although this was not entirely successful. I have already been criticized for having too much information.
At your request, I am attaching two tables on car sales. The text is in German, but everything is clear. Regarding income, a little later. It takes time.
Best regards

[expert]

I give information on income. And you're right, incomes are falling. But from the table above it is clear that much worse has happened, for example in 2009 minus 2,64 billion.

[Anton Yu]

This is the first time I’ve read about Mercedes’ kaput.

[expert]

Dear Anton!
From the freshest. Broadcast “Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” from February 01, 4 days ago. One of the guests, Rodion Miroshnik: Mercedes is already closing its showrooms in Germany. Germany without Mercedes."
Vladimir Solovyov: “The Chinese bought them there (bought them up).” And such statements have been made more than once.
Best regards

[Anton Yu]

I don't watch Solovyov. You could also refer to Kiselev.

[expert]

This was one of the reasons that prompted me to write this article.
After all, millions of people watch both Solovyov and Kisilev. But I can assure you that similar things have been stated in online publications.

[arnulla]

Solovyov’s broadcasts turned into pure propaganda. Unfortunately...
Any opinion that is not convenient for the authorities is interrupted, ridiculed, well, they quickly move off the topic. There is no point in looking at this squalor..

[S.Z.]

Quote: Anton Yu

Vladimir Solovyov: “The Chinese bought them there (bought them up).” And such statements have been made more than once.
Best regards

Don’t read Soviet newspapers before lunch (c), and you don’t even need to watch Solovyov at all.

[shark507]

Why such a long introduction?

[Viktor Sergeev]

The Roman Empire looked just as gorgeous at the time of its destruction. And then we'll see.

[DienBienPhu]

Electric cars have caused companies like Mercedes to lose all their advantages in internal combustion engines.

[Bayun]

The Germans were once again on the wrong side of the conflict. They will be betrayed and sold again. This is ERROR No. (N+1) in German history.

[Zaurbek]

They have our ideological enemies. Until now. Many companies left the Russian Federation on their own (nobody forced them) for ideological reasons.

[S.Z.]

Thanks to the Author, the article is very informative.

The collapse of Mercedes against the backdrop of the revival of the Russian auto industry (they started making Moskvichs again) could have pleased a certain-minded public, but something tells me that reality has once again not coincided with reality.

[your1970]

Quote: lithium17

It is immediately clear that the Author laid out everything with German pedantry! It is clear that the Germans will not ruin their auto industry and Mercedes in particular according to our example! The main thing is that they DO NOT DEPEND on components, unlike us, everything is our own and reliable.!

If I hadn’t arranged transit across the Russian Federation from China to Germany for spare parts for Mercedes, I would have shed a tear of emotion

[Totor5]

The site is full of Germanophiles, which is why they love Mercedes and love to discuss Hitler’s German tanks until their eyes sparkle.
I skimmed through the article, for some reason it described the entire history of the company since relic times, but I still didn’t understand who was lying about Mercedes in the media.
As usual, the comments contain platitudes and platitudes.

[Zaurbek]

We need to say "Thank you" to the Germans for selling us technologies (which we managed to master) like the Kamaz K5. And move on. And, most importantly, then, when we let them into the Russian market, remind them and tax them. For prosthetics and pensions for the disabled.

[Zaurbek]

There is a global redistribution in the automobile market now. Due to the transition to electrics, a dangerous competitor has appeared that was not there - China. If in cars with internal combustion engines there was a total dominance of the Germans, then with electrics the West got into a difficult situation - the agenda is Western, and in it the West is losing to China. China is breaking the traditional market even in conventional cars. Profitability is falling and not everyone survives. Mercedes itself has divided AMG, Brabus from Mercedes itself for the purpose of sale. Mercedes itself is not profitable. Only tuning versions of AMG-Brabus-Maybach are profitable. That's what they will make.

[Ilgizl]

The author at the end of the article directly showed US who XY is. It's worth listening to him.