Mercedes Gives You a First-Class Drive in a Pandemic
The extra spending power of wealthy consumers is good news for Germany’s luxury carmakers. So is China’s resilience.
SUVs are very popular.
Photographer: Hannah Elliott/Bloomberg“My chauffeur has difficulty parking our limousine” is the definition of a first-world problem but it’s one Mercedes-Benz was determined to solve with the latest iteration of its top-of-range S-Class saloon. The rear wheels can turn in the opposite direction to those at the front, which gives the hulking vehicle a smaller turning circle. “Wie praktisch!” (How practical!)
Mercedes’s parent company, Daimler AG, has shown similarly impressive maneuverability during the pandemic. After delivering an astonishing 5 billion euros ($6 billion) of free cash flow during the July to September quarter, the German luxury car and truck maker has raised its full-year financial outlook. Operating profit is now expected to be about the same as last year’s 4.3 billion euros.