MERCEDES BENZ BLOG

MERCEDES BENZ BLOG

Mercedes-Benz W136 was Mercedes-Benz's line of four-cylinder automobiles from the mid-1930s into the 1950s. The car was first presented in public in February 1936, although by that time production had already been under way for a couple of months. Between 1936 and 1939, and again between 1947 and 1953 it was the manufacturer's top selling automobile. After the Second World War the W136 became the foundation on which the company rebuilt, because enough of the tooling had survived allied bombing or could be recreated. 1949 saw the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz 170S version of the W136. This model is in retrospect sometimes celebrated as the first S-Class Mercedes-Benz. It was a more luxurious, costlier and, when launched, slightly larger version of the mainstream model and the manufacturer made an effort to maximize the differentiation between the two. The Mercedes-Benz 170 Sb and 170 DS were even given a different works number in 1952, being internally designated between 1952 and 1953 as the Mercedes-Benz W191. 1955 was the car's last year of production. Its replacement, the W120 had already been on sale since July 1953, after which the older model was repositioned in the market as a lower priced alternative to the new one. The Mercedes-Benz 170 SV and 170 SD were also built briefly in Argentina from 1952-1955 in sedan, taxi, station wagon, pick-up and van versions. Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a four speed manual transmission which initially came with synchromesh only on the top two ratios.

Therefore, dealerships have gone out of their way to make it as convenient and enjoyable as possible to purchase or service an automobile. Free Loaners, Guaranteed appointments, Estimated Completion Times, Upscale Coffee and Breakfast Bars, Internet and TV access, or free transportation to and from the dealership. Higher end manufacturers such as Bentley, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin go as far as sending a flatbed truck to your home to pickup your vehicle, and will return it to you the same way. Tesla has no such abilities to service a customer in this fashion, nor has it any need to attain high CSI numbers as it would only lead to paying itself for a job well done. Customers have no opportunity to take delivery at The Mall Stores, nor can they bring the car there for service. The deliver and service centers are located remotely - sometimes an hour or more away.

And don't forget to have a friend follow you unless you intend to take public transportation home. Compare all that with dropping off your BMW where you bought it, and being handed the keys to a brand new BMW loaner. Once consumers become aware of how different the " ownership experience"of Tesla will be from what they're accustomed to, Tesla will lose sales. Should Audi, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes start training their sales people to stress these differences, the damage to Tesla sales could be significant. Tesla has said it offers service to its customers through mobile technicians, and if the issue is minor, the customer may only have to wait around with their disabled vehicle a few hours. If the issue cannot be solved in this manner, then consumer frustration will likely turn to anger as the car is flat-bedded away - potentially resulting in some very unfavorable " word of mouth " advertising. A third longer-term issue that the current Tesla delivery setup presents is that it separates the sales person ( called Product Specialists ) from the consumer as soon as the purchase agreement is signed.

Delivery and demonstration of how the vehicle functions are handed off to someone else at another location entirely. As there is no better advertising than a positive referral from an existing client, Tesla is likely losing direct referral business from satisfied customers. Though Tesla's showrooms are clean and modern, they are not designed to conduct sales in the same way a traditional dealership is; Tesla offers galleries where you may look but not buy - at least not the same day. There is nowhere to sit down, unless you find a comfortable counter top as shown below. To consummate a deal, Tesla has seemingly adopted the strategy employed by Queen Victoria and her Privy Council: Standing. And as every good salesperson knows - it is extremely difficult to negotiate standing up. Pull Up A Wall & Get Comfortable. Tesla's customers may do exactly the same. Traditional dealerships employ a time-tested gallery design which allows a buyer to see all available models, with excess inventory located on site to compare colors/options.