Greg Davis Mercedes-Benz Eng 419 ∙ Dr. Berzsenyi October 17, 2012

Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz were independent inventors of the high-speed engine, which allowed them to pave the way for motorized road transportation. Due to certain aspects of the war and the penetration of the Ford Company into the foreign market Daimler and Benz decided to merge their companies. So in 1926 Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. merged in 1926 to form Daimler-Benz AG. A man by the name of Emil Jellinek, who was a wealthy banker-sportsman of Vienna, became impressed by Damler’s engines and decided to purchase controlling stock in their company. Thecompany was soon to change to Mercedes-Benz in the 1900’s, when the 4-cylinder/35 hp Daimler was completed and the car was named after Emil Jellinek's beautiful daughter, Mercedes.
Figure 1 Emil Jellinek's

daughter Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz was long the “Grand Lady” of luxury-car makers, when it came to design. When it started till the turn of the century these stylish cars were aimed at middle-aged buyers who had plenty of money to spend. Once they shifted towards a more youthful and sportier appeal the new designs caused the younger generation to become more interested in these fine ladies. Even with these changes in style and target market, the buyers of these cars still need plenty of disposable income to be able to afford them. In the table below, is information that shows the main areas (countries) where Mercedes-Benz makes their sales.

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars
July 2012 97,327 8,122 105,449 Change in % -3.1 -4.4 -3.2 Jan.-July 2012 750,251 63,715 813,966 Change in % +5.5 +0.7 +5.1

MercedesBenz smart
Mercedes-Benz

Cars

Mercedes-Benz sales by market 41,530 Western Europe thereof 20,487 Germany 22,079 NAFTA thereof the 19,311 U.S. 24,546 Asia/Pacific thereof Japan 2,586 thereof China 14,128

-10.2 -11.3 +2.4 +1.6 +2.8 +16.8 -0.8

325,617 149,016 170,065 147,905 191,286 21,685 113,519

+0.8 +2.0 +13.6 +13.8 +7.8 +26.1 +6.7

Since these cars are flashy and seen as the top in “Class”, you can without a doubt say Achievers (high income with the need to be flashy) are the regulars when it comes to purchasing these automobiles. You might even find a significant group of emulators (mid-income with the need to be trendy or desperate for attention) who will purchase the less expensive models, in which to give off the image of having money or being in a higher class bracket then what they are actually a part of. Due to Mercedes image of high class and luxury, you would not see survivors and sustainers driving off the lot in a brand new or even a used model due to the fact of affordability. Outer directed individuals such as I-am-ME (want to be seen as having great “taste”) and experiential individuals who are artsy (due to the unique designs) are most likely to be the most interested in purchasing a Mercedes.

Model of car