Author: Jingtao Wu
Mercedes-Benz has just made a very kind move! The automaker announced a guide price adjustment for two of its electric vehicle models, which will benefit both new and old customers.
Specifically:
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EQE (three models): priced from CNY 47.8 million to 53.43 million after a discount of CNY 50,700.
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EQS (four models): priced from CNY 84.5 million to 131.4 million after a discount of CNY 204,600 to 237,600.
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EQS AMG 53 is the most powerful model and is discounted by CNY 198,600, priced from CNY 148.6-154.7 million.
To be honest, for Mercedes-Benz, this price adjustment is not accidental, but inevitable in the electric vehicle market.
The competition in the domestic electric vehicle market is extremely fierce, and while Mercedes-Benz is not a latecomer to this market in China, it is not one of the earliest either. Even though selling electric vehicles is currently selling at a loss, the cultivation of market reputation, long-term appeal to consumers, and even feedback on Mercedes-Benz product planning will largely depend on early customers. Therefore, the basket of these early customers cannot be too small.
I have a friend who owns a shop in the Haizhu district fabric market, and he bought an EQE for his wife for daily commuting and occasionally for picking up their child. In their experience of trying out electric vehicles, they approve of both the brand and the car.
Why do we say the old customers win? Won’t Mercedes-Benz lose Warranty claims from old customers with price reduction? This may also be an advantage of traditional automakers selling electric vehicles: they have the strength to financially compensate consumers either on price increase or price reduction.
Mercedes-Benz stated that “for customers who purchase the above models before November 16, 2022, we will support the respective authorized dealers to provide a special subsidy plan based on the difference between the purchase invoice amount and the manufacturer’s recommended retail price adjustment.”
In other words, if the invoice price of an old car owner is higher than the current new price, Mercedes-Benz dealers will try their best to make an equivalent subsidy.
Although the dealer itself may also have discounts, it is not known how much this specific amount will be. However, this announcement is very sincere, and at least there will not be a situation like “Mercedes-Benz owner rights protection,” similar to Tesla… although the owners may not care about it.
But if you get tens of thousands of pocket money back…well, if it were me, I would have already thought about where to hide my private money.
There will be matters concerning local taxation and procedures here, and car owners may need to be patient and communicate with dealers. Those who cannot communicate can find me for feedback on Weibo @电车室长.
As for potential car owners, needless to say, there must be a reason for liking it. If you don’t like it, there can be countless reasons. But potential car owners can definitely save a lot of money.
In our previous evaluation, the range performance of the Mercedes-Benz EQS can be described as “astonishing”.
This car is also the car with the highest actual tested range in our “True Electric Test” column. The car marked 720KM only stopped after running 685 kilometers with two people and air conditioning on, and it was 39 degrees Celsius that day.
This month, we will also test the range of the EQE. The advantages of traditional luxury brands will be reflected first in the three-electric aspect, and then in safety and luxury building.
Lastly, as Mercedes-Benz is the first brand to lead the way among the BBA brands, it will have an impact on the pricing of later models such as the BMW i5, which is a positive signal.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.