{"id":1869776,"date":"2026-04-07T11:57:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1869776"},"modified":"2026-04-07T11:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:57:20","slug":"mercedes-changes-plan-again-inside-the-new-volume-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1869776","title":{"rendered":"Mercedes changes plan again: inside the new volume strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"articleItem\">\n<p>    {&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Article&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-5.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;mainEntityOfPage&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;WebPage&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/mercedes-benz\/2026-model-strategy\/&#8221;},&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/mercedes-benz\/2026-model-strategy\/&#8221;,&#8221;author&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Nick Gibbs&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Nick Gibbs is CAR magazineu2019s news industry expert and correspondent. A veteran motoring reporter, he has contributed to a variety of leading automotive titles across Europe and the US, including Autocar Business, Auto Express and Automotive News.nnnnNick specialises in following motoring industry news and trends, analysing automotive strategy and industrial moves that shape the cars weu2019re driving today and tomorrow. Heu2019s met more titans of industry than most of us have had hot dinners and is as well connected as they come.nnnnYouu2019ll occasionally see Nick pop up as a u2018talking headu2019 discussing car industry news on TV channels including BBC World, Sky News, TRT World and Al Jazeera, and he has won a few gongs along the way, including the Newspress Automotive Business Journalist of the Year 2019, Guild of Motoring Writers Business Writer of the Year 2018 and Guild of Motoring Writers International Journalist of the Year 2015.&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/196489\/nick_gibbs_author_car_magazine.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;caption&#8221;:&#8221;Nick Gibbs&#8221;},&#8221;sameAs&#8221;:[&#8220;https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nick-gibbs-8b91b816\/&#8221;,&#8221;https:\/\/x.com\/NickGibbs&#8221;,&#8221;https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nick___gibbs\/&#8221;],&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/nick-gibbs\/&#8221;,&#8221;alumniOf&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;EducationalOrganization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;University of Aberdeen&#8221;},&#8221;jobTitle&#8221;:&#8221;News correspondent&#8221;,&#8221;knowsAbout&#8221;:&#8221;Car industry,Car news&#8221;,&#8221;worksFor&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;CAR magazine&#8221;}},&#8221;dateModified&#8221;:&#8221;2026-04-07T12:57:20+01:00&#8243;,&#8221;datePublished&#8221;:&#8221;2026-04-07T12:57:20+01:00&#8243;,&#8221;headline&#8221;:&#8221;Mercedes changes plan again: inside the new volume strategy&#8221;,&#8221;publisher&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Bauer Media&#8221;,&#8221;brand&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Car Magazine&#8221;},&#8221;logo&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/logos\/car.200&#215;88.png&#8221;}}}<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column xlarge-10 xlarge-push-2\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMercedes changes plan again: inside the new volume strategy<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<div class=\"hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"compact-author-info\">\n\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/nick-gibbs\/\">Nick Gibbs<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"dates\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dates__date\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPublished: Today 12:57<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"cms-content\">\n<div class=\"in-page-gallery full-width thumbnails-bullets\">\n<ul class=\"carousel\" data-orbit=\"true\" data-options=\"bullets: true; resume_on_mouseout: false; timer: false; variable_height: true; slide_number: false\">\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-5.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Class for every day: the new A-Class\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x270\/mercedes_changes_plan-5.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x405\/mercedes_changes_plan-5.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1056x594\/mercedes_changes_plan-5.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Class for every day: the new A-Class<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class: True class runs deep\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x270\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x405\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1056x594\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>The new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class: True class runs deep<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Unpopular EQE SUV\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x270\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x405\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1056x594\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Unpopular EQE SUV<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Mercedes boss Ola K\u00e4llenius\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x270\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x405\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1056x594\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Mercedes boss Ola K\u00e4llenius<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Mercedes changes plan again: inside the new volume strategy\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x270\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x405\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1056x594\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"articleContent\">\n<div class=\"bold-links\">\n<p><strong>\u25ba\u00a0Mercedes changes tact<br \/><strong>\u25ba<\/strong>\u00a0Volume and growth will be key<br \/><strong>\u25ba<\/strong>\u00a0So it\u2019s time for mainstream premium<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2022 Mercedes-Benz boss Ola K\u00e4llenius emphatically declared that the increasingly crowded pool that the car industry calls \u2018mainstream premium\u2019 was no place for his company to wallow in. No: Mercedes, he insisted, is a luxury company.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I say it here officially: the entrance point into the Mercedes-Benz brand in the future will be a different one than it is today,\u2019 K\u00e4llenius told a crowd of analysts at an exclusive venue high above Monaco.<\/p>\n<p><em>Like this? Get more CAR delivered to your browser!\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=carmagazine.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><strong>Click here to add CAR Magazine as a preferred source on Google<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>These were the new \u2018economics of desire\u2019. In a slide show littered with images of diamonds, K\u00e4llenius\u2019s chief financial officer pointed to a chart that drew a stark comparison between a decrease in the volume of sales and an increase in the average selling price. More was less. Value was more important than volume. Sell fewer cars, but make more profit on each sale.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019re not going to go in and compete with volume makers. We\u2019re a modern luxury company,\u2019 K\u00e4llenius said. More top-end sales and fewer entry models, including axing the VW Golf-size A-Class, would bring predicted profit margins of 14 per cent by 2025.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"The new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class: True class runs deep\" class=\"wp-image-259031\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1040x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-1.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>What a difference four years makes. The gulf between the brand\u2019s standpoint in 2022 compared to now is highly illustrative of the way seemingly deeply held beliefs in the automotive industry have had to be dramatically revised to fit the new reality \u2013 a reality few could have guessed at.<\/p>\n<p>For example, not only does the A-Class still exist, and still compete with the likes of the Golf with an entry price of \u20ac34,577 in Germany, but the plan is now to replace it with a new model from 2028.<\/p>\n<p>When K\u00e4llenius met with investors back in February, there was no more talk of \u2018trimming the tree\u2019. He said: \u2018The absolutely clear priority in the mid-term is to grow.\u2019 After throttling back car sales to 1.8 million last year from 2.3 million in 2019, the goal is to get back up to two million within the next five years.<\/p>\n<p>When K\u00e4llenius made his declaration in 2022, Mercedes wasn\u2019t the only car maker touting value over volume amid a computer chip crisis that slowed car factories and pushed up the prices of those models that did get built. But few others built an entire strategy out of it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The recent climbdown has worried investors. \u2018I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve heard the word \u201cgrowth\u201d as often from you guys since Monaco,\u2019 Tim Rokossa, analyst at Deutsche Bank, said at the February meeting. \u2018Is \u201cvalue over volume\u201d over with this announcement?\u2019<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Mercedes boss Ola K\u00e4llenius\" class=\"wp-image-259033\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1040x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-3.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>Mercedes assured them it wasn\u2019t, highlighting the fact that 30 per cent of upcoming launches such as the new S-Class and GLE SUV were in its top-end segments that account for 15 per cent of sales.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s clear that, going forward, squeezing the rich is a smaller part of the equation. That much-vaunted average selling price, up to \u20ac71,500 in the second quarter of 2022, slipped to \u20ac52,765 last year amid a torrent of headwinds, led by a US tariff bill of around \u20ac1bn and rampant competition in China that slashed sales by 19 per cent last year to 551,932.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That hurt profits to the point that margins weren\u2019t at the 14 per cent mark predicted in 2022 but instead slumped to 2.6 per cent in the fourth quarter. Mercedes predicts margins of three to five per cent this year for its car division, with a medium-term aim of eight to 10 per cent.<\/p>\n<p>These are tough figures to reach given the return to lower-margin compact segments, but Mercedes pointed to the 400,000-car annual capacity it now has in its Kecskem\u00e9t plant in Hungary. Here, production is around 70 per cent less expensive than in Germany, ensuring that the new A-Class built there might have a competitive margin. A round of job cuts started in 2025 and continuing in 2026 and 2027 will also control costs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to blame Mercedes for the cloudiness of its crystal ball. Anyone back then who dared to predict today\u2019s reality would have been met with many a raised eyebrow. At that time, Mercedes was \u2018all in on BEV, all out of ICE\u2019 as an electric future beckoned.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Unpopular EQE SUV\" class=\"wp-image-259032\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1040x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-2.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Consumers weren\u2019t so sure, however, and then President Trump decided to completely rewire US emissions rules to put the market on the opposite path to Europe and China. In February there was an honest admission that Mercedes got it wrong. \u2018We definitely totally overestimated the speed with which customers would be willing to switch over to electric mobility,\u2019 sales chief Mathias Geisen said. \u2018We also overestimated their desire for having a completely differentiated design for their electric vehicle,\u2019 he added in reference to the EQS and EQE with their \u2018soap bar\u2019 styling.<\/p>\n<p>Now V8s are back and there\u2019s even a V12 for the Maybach version of the new S-Class.<\/p>\n<p>BMW arguably played a better hand here, jamming batteries into regular combustion-engine models and only launching its all-electric Neue Klasse platform when the technology was up to scratch.<\/p>\n<p>Outgoing CEO Oliver Zipse attributed the brand\u2019s success in riding out this rollercoaster phase of electromobility transition to not following the herd. \u2018To be consensual is probably the first mistake if you want to compete in pretty high-level competition in our industry,\u2019 he told investors on a March call covering the company\u2019s annual results, in which profit margins were considerable better than Mercedes\u2019 at 7.7 per cent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Now that Mercedes is back in the growth game can it actually hit its two million goal? \u2018The targeted growth rates and margin improvements are very ambitious, in our view,\u2019 Deutsche Bank\u2019s Rokossa wrote in a note to investors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"New electric GLC\" class=\"wp-image-259034\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/480x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/720x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/1040x0\/mercedes_changes_plan-4.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>A-Class sales have jumped 20 per cent in the first two months of this year across Europe, suggesting Mercedes has taken the brakes off discounts in its somewhat inflexible direct sales system in key markets including the UK.<\/p>\n<p>However, China is on the decline for all Western premium brands and already the company is refusing to play the brutal discount game with its new electric CLA, resulting in sluggish sales for what should have been a key model. \u2018We did not participate in those measures,\u2019 China head Oliver Th\u00f6ne said, a trifle sniffily, at the investor event. \u2018We believe that the substance of the product will require a certain amount of time to be fully understood and fully appreciated.\u2019 The new electric GLC should be a better fit, if Mercedes can price it right.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Being fully appreciated was never a Mercedes weakness, and for one brief period it thought it could leverage that appreciation to elevate itself onto a higher level. But now the diamonds are becoming harder to mine, it recognises it\u2019s time to get back into its civvies and muck in with \u2018mainstream premium\u2019 again.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<aside class=\"about-author\">\n<h2 class=\"about-author-heading\">About the author<\/h2>\n<div class=\"about-author-inner\">\n<div class=\"main-author-summary-container\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"main-author-image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/nick-gibbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/196489\/120x120\/nick_gibbs_author_car_magazine.jpg?quality=90)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"main-author-name-container\">\n<div class=\"main-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/nick-gibbs\/\">Nick Gibbs<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"main-author-job-title\">News correspondent<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"main-author-byline\">Nick Gibbs is CAR magazine&#8217;s go-to newshound. An experienced automotive news reporter and analyst who&#8217;s on first-name terms with the industry decision-makers who are shaping the cars of the future.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"column show-for-xlarge-up xlarge-2 xlarge-pull-10\">\n<figure class=\"author-info clearfix\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"author-image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/nick-gibbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/196489\/85x85\/nick_gibbs_author_car_magazine.jpg?quality=90)\"><\/a><figcaption>\n<p class=\"author-name\">\n\t\t\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/nick-gibbs\/\">Nick Gibbs<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"author-quote\">Contributor and newshound who specialises in unravelling the machinations of the car industry<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column xlarge-10 xlarge-push-2 disqus\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a id=\"commentsExpander\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/mercedes-benz\/2026-model-strategy\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon fi-comments\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"link-text disqus-comment-count\" data-disqus-identifier=\"article-wp-258989\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"commentsSection\">\n<div id=\"disqus_thread\"><\/div>\n<p>var disqus_shortname = &#8216;carmagazine&#8217;;<br \/>\nvar disqus_developer = 0;<br \/>\nvar disqus_identifier = &#8216;article-wp-258989&#8217;;<br \/>\n\t(function () {<br \/>\n\t\tvar dsq = document.createElement(&#8216;script&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\tdsq.type = &#8216;text\/javascript&#8217;;<br \/>\n\t\tdsq.async = true;<br \/>\n\t\tdsq.src = &#8216;http:\/\/&#8217; + disqus_shortname + &#8216;.disqus.com\/embed.js&#8217;;<br \/>\n\t\t(document.getElementsByTagName(&#8216;head&#8217;)[0] || 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data-elem=\"close\"><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Article&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/258989\/mercedes_changes_plan-5.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;mainEntityOfPage&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;WebPage&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/mercedes-benz\/2026-model-strategy\/&#8221;},&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/mercedes-benz\/2026-model-strategy\/&#8221;,&#8221;author&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Nick Gibbs&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Nick Gibbs is CAR magazineu2019s news industry expert and correspondent. A veteran motoring reporter, he has contributed to a variety of leading automotive titles across Europe and the US, including Autocar Business, Auto Express and Automotive News.nnnnNick specialises in following motoring industry news and trends, analysing automotive strategy and industrial moves that shape the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[239,226],"class_list":["post-1869776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-carmagazine-co-uk","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1869776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869776\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1869776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1869776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1869776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}