July 2014 | Page 48

new vehicles | by Howard Keeg Arriving When I was a school kid in the 1960’s I used to walk to school, which put me at the bottom of the pecking order. Those with bicycles or those who arrived by bus were on the next rung, whilst those with 50cc mopeds were next, and so forth. But top of the pile were those kids whose parents dropped them off in a Mercedes-Benz. It was a statement of note, a ringing proclamation that ➲ You have arrived! they had arrived. I was intrigued by this arbitrary allocation of social status, and whilst I did not endorse this I realised that this was a powerful motivator in vehicle choice, and as the years went by I noticed that the three-pointed star continued to shine and did not lose its allure, despite strong marketing efforts from the other two German luxury brands, and some rather futile efforts from the East. This continues to today, and four decades later I still notice it at the bowling club, with white haired gentlemen announcing as they glide into their parking bay, “I have arrived”. Money is no object for the well-heeled, and even if money does play a role, then a 1980’s Merc will do the job. At the German club it is “Das Beste oder nichts”, and at the South African and other expat loaded clubs it is “The best or nothing”. The secret behind the brand is longevity (Mercedes-Benz is one of the world’s oldest automotive brands in existence today). Add to this its reputation as the leader in technological and safety innovations and you have a powerful formula, with the other brands always playing catch up. Of course, with such a reputation, you cannot rest on your laurels, and Mercedes-Benz definitely does not do that, whether it is technology, innovation, marketing, or looking into the crystal ball. An example of crystal ball gazing is the fact that Mercedes-Benz built the first “robot car” in the 1980’s, as part of the European Union’s EUREKA programme, which spawned the Prometheus Project’s focus on autonomous vehicles; and an example of market evaluation is the introduction of smaller cars. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a “small” executive car, being the successor to the 190 (W201), which was introduced specifically to meet the need for compact executive cars. The C-Class is now the best seller for the company and has developed an iconic status, which is sure to be enhanced with the introduction of the W205. Using aluminium extensively throughout the body, resulting in a 100 kg weight reduction, but with class leading rigidity, the all-new C-Class heralds a new chapter in the C-Class success story and sets new standards in the premium medium-luxury segment. Excellent aerodynamics combined with new economical engines, establishes the C-Class as the benchmark in its segment. | words in action 46 july 2014 Add a host of new safety assistance systems (the genesis of which was the Prometheus Project in the 1980’s), optional air-sprung suspension, and emotional design and a high-class interior, and you will have a queue of new buyers wanting to arrive. But of course, arriving comes at a price. The base C 180 BlueEFFICIENCY will put the arrivees back R415 900, the C 200 BlueEFFICIENCY comes in at R436 600, C 250 BlueEFFICIENCY at R502 600, and the C 220 BlueTEC at R459 000. And you do not want to know how much the extras will cost, unless you have been arriving for quite some time. But, at no extra cost, the new C-Class comes standard with the 6-years/ 100 000 km maintenance contract, and the option to extend.