Mercedes goes for the ghoulies

Newswheel staff :: 29 September 2005 :: Filed under Saloon, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz S-Class, Europe & UK, US

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Macho new S-Class targeted only at males

"This is a pure male domain, we have never given serious thought to addressing women." So says Justus Schneider, Mercedes-Benz’s director of worldwide marketing communications. Don’t beat about the bush Justus!

The close relationship between men and their motors is hardly a state secret. But some of the facts involving exactly who forks out the folding for high-end metal such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class are still pretty shocking. Try this for size: 90 per cent of buyers are men in the narrow 50 to 55 age bracket. That’s a little creepy.

Just for men
Still, it’s more than justification enough for MB’s misogynistic approach to marketing the S-Class. A new worldwide TV campaign will feature a mature but no doubt well-preserved S-Class driver escaping an accident thanks to the car’s advanced collision detection and avoidance tech.

Using a proximity radar sensor, the new S-Class can not only detect imminent crashes, but also apply the brakes to avoid collision. Of course, not all accidents can be avoided, so the car has other tricks up its sleeve. A system known as Presafe in Mercedes’ delightfully Orwellian marketingspeak preps the car for the worst, inflating chambers inside the seats to help cushion passengers and automatically closing windows.

So, there you have it. If you can afford the cost of a new S-Class you won’t lose your life cheaply on the motorway. Or something…There’s a moral in there somewhere. Probably.

Linkage:
Autoweek