For many, the Mercedes E-Class is the ultimate taxi. A long-distance runner, simply equipped and yet comfortable, a comfort ray of hope in times when Dacias are already on the road for the same price as taxis. But that should soon be over: According to a media report, Mercedes will no longer want to offer the taxi version of the E-Class after the model change in the coming year.
This emerges from letters from Mercedes sales employees to their taxi customers, as the WirtschaftsWoche writes. For example, an employee at a German Mercedes branch responsible for selling taxis announced to “dear taxi drivers” that “the taxi” would no longer be available for the E-Class from 2023. The taxi version of the B-Class should also be discontinued as part of the model update in the coming year. The German Taxi and Rental Car Association responded with a written outcry to Mercedes boss Ola Källenius: The elimination of the E-Class as a taxi was “catastrophic”. Such a step would “lead to a serious disruption of the relationship between the trade and Mercedes-Benz,” the WirtschaftsWoche quoted a letter as saying. Mercedes dismissed the fact that they were currently optimizing their focus on the needs of the taxi industry. “We are currently in the exploratory phase for a new Mercedes-Benz passenger car taxi model.” This is also in a customer letter from a Mercedes branch. Accordingly, the interest rate of 2.99 percent has not applied since March 1. Strong move to the luxury segment Just a week ago, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would sharpen its profile as a luxury manufacturer and thus want to keep profits at a high level. The brand with the three-pointed star has set itself the record return on sales of 13 percent for passenger cars in 2022 as well. However, the luxury return was due to the special situation of a lack of chips, which led to production stops and a concentration on high-priced and very profitable models such as the S-Class or Maybach. CEO Ola Källenius wants to make a virtue out of necessity. “Scarcity is a very important part of our strategy,” said the Swede on Thursday. It makes products desirable. However, the group does not want to overdo it with long waiting times for a new car. The range of less profitable compact cars should become “more selective”. Källenius left it open whether this would mean the end of the entry-level A-Class model.
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