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speedometer showed approximately 62 km/h when, at
first, the right front wheel rim scratched on the asphalt,
followed by the right back rim, and finally the car capsized.
All five people suffered from contusions and
cuts and complained about neck- and backaches.
Fortunately, all testers had worn helmets! (See
Exhibit 4.)
“98% of all cars,’’ said Collin, “pass this test without
problems. Within the last ten years during hundreds
of test for our magazine, something like that has
never ever happened to me before ”6—and then came
the A Class.
Results of the Moose-Test
The test report from Sweden hit the Daimler–Benz
group at its most sensitive spot: the safety of its cars was
one of the most important sales arguments. With its
A Class, Mercedes wanted to demonstrate that a compact-
size car can be as secure as a middle-of-the-market
car. And it seemed to be proven: at internal and external
rear-end collision crash tests, the A-Class showed an
unequal safety for its class.7
Possible Reasons for the Capsizing
The key issue in rollover stability is the relationship
between the height of a vehicle’s center of gravity (CG)
and the width of its track. The CG is the point in the car
at which its weight is in balance, front to rear, side to
side, and top to bottom. The A-Class has an extreme tall
profile and high CG, which dramati-cally increases the
instability of the car in severe cornering.
Another contributing factor is the car’s stiff trailing-
arm rear suspension. This construction was used in
order to save space, but the result was less predictability
and much faster breakaway at the outer limits of
tire adhesion than with a conventional setup.
REACTIONS
No one could have expected that the latest Mercedes
model would have difficulties making the grade when it
came to the question of safety. Hundreds of cars had
passed the Moose-Test, and now one of the leading car
manufacturers in quality and safety, Mercedes-Benz, had
its latest model fail it. The world was stunned, beginning
with the company itself, its competitors, customers, and
the media.
Initial Reactions of Daimler-Benz AG
Mercedes-Benz’s initial reaction was that of a successful
and celebrated company: total ignorance and arrogance.
As one official publicly stated before the media:
“We do not consider it necessary to reply officially on
this matter, just because somewhere in the world a
car was rolled over.’’8 While stubbornly defending
the safety of the A-Class, Mercedes officials publicly
ridiculed the Swedish journalist, Robert Collin, who
drove the ill-fated car that rolled over during testing,
while considering legal action against him. They also
promoted the notion that the A-Class was the victim of
an extreme maneuver performed under exotic conditions,
as suggested by Moose-Test. The test was blamed
to be unrealistic and not representative for everyday
driving. Mercedes summed up the allegations by pronouncing
a sarcastic statement, “You can tip any car in
the world if you really want to.’’9
In continuing with their disbelief, the company
officially announced that the A-Class was “absolutely
secure’’ and started to blame its wheel producer,
Goodyear, for the car’s apparent failure. According to
Mercedes, the roll-overs occurred only with models
equipped with Goodyear’s GT2. As a result, the com-
6“Afraid of Capsizing,’’ Translation from German News
Magazine Der Spiegel (October 27, 1997).
7“Afraid of Capsizing,’’ Translation from German News
Magazine Der Spiegel (October 27, 1997).
43%
A-Class
29%
6%
7%
15%
C-Class
E-Class
S-Class/SL
M-Class/G-Class
Percentage in sales in 1998
EXHIBIT 4
SALES IN 1998
8Dr. Lambert Müller “Die Daimler–Benz AG nach dem
“Elch-Test’’ der A-Klasse’’ Konflikte, Krisen und
Kommunikationschancen in der Mediengesellschaft, Public
Relations und Kommunikationsmanagement, Band 7.
9“Der Sicherheitsanspruch wird uneingeschränkt erfüllt,’’ Stern
(October 30, 1997), p.35.
17-6 • Case 17: Daimler–Benz AG: The A-Class and the “Moose-Test”
10Dr. Lambert Müller “Die Daimler–Benz AG nach dem “Elch-
Test’’ der A-Klasse’’ Konflikte, Krisen und
Kommunikationschancen in der Mediengesellschaft, Public
Relations und Kommunikationsmanagement, Band 7.
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