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seems obvious, since Mercedes-Benz is a German company
and a symbol of the German society’s commitment
to the highest standards of quality and safety in the manufacturing
of cars.
The International Press
The international press focused their comments on the
idea that the German giant was injured. It appeared as
Case 17: Daimler–Benz AG: The A-Class and the “Moose-Test” • 17-7
though the moment had come for Mercedes to pay for
its continuous show of self-assurance, which led it to
believe that it could do no wrong. Most of the articles
questioned the impact that this public image disaster
would have on the Mercedes brand. Nonetheless, no
specific responses were offered by the journalists.
Hesitation could be sensed in the careful words that
the press chose when pronouncing a verdict on the
A Class. This could be read as a testimony to the substantial
clout that the German manufacture carries
around the world. As it turns out, Mercedes might benefit
from some anti-press backlash. To make its test car
tip up two wheels for photos, one magazine mixed one
16-inch wheel from the upscale Avantegarde package
with the standard 15-inch wheels. Due to this, and
other revelations of rigged tests that were conducted
by the investigative reporters, sympathy for the carmaker
emerged.
Other foreign newspapers decided to show a dual
face. La Libération (Paris) wrote: “Not the cars are dangerous,
but the people that drive them. A car without a
driver has never ever killed somebody so far. ABS (antilock
braking system), ESP (Electronic Stability Program),
ASR (acceleration skid control) or airbags will
not stop the misleading picture of the inviolable face
behind the steering wheel.Would it not be more appropriate
to remind every driver of the commandment of
common sense in the Highway Code that says that every
driver has to control the speed of his car?’’12
Even the Financial Times in London mentioned that
the brand name of Mercedes would suffer some loss of
reputation: “The name Mercedes personifies comfort,
safety and quality of the German engineering skills. This
new car betrays these values, and this could have an effect
on the other Mercedes models,’’ it still was sure that
Mercedes would recover.13
As can be seen, there was no clear consensus as
to the verdict on the A-Class fiasco. Only on one topic
could the international press come to an agreement:
The A-Class failed the Moose-Test, and this was a good
opportunity to mock its creator—in either a friendly
or a hurting way.As for the impact that all of the negative
reaction would have on Mercedes and the sales
of the A Class, most of them tried to walk the median
line.
DAIMLER–BENZ’S FINAL REACTION
Daimler–Benz deserves little praise for its first efforts to
save the Mercedes A-Class. The company’s initial
response to the crisis was anything but a textbook exercise.
Only when the vehicle’s poor stability had been
confirmed by several other sources, including its maker,
were apologies offered. “That the A-Class has shown a
weakness in extreme test situations is something nobody
regrets more than we do,’’ comments Jürgen Schrempp,
chairman of the board of Daimler-Benz AG.14 His following
reactions were immediate. Schrempp ordered a
task of 200 of Daimler-Benz’s most brilliant engineers to
assemble the Mercedes production plant and to find a
solution. Batteries of new tests were conducted in Germany
and in Spain, and their results were relayed to
Stuttgart by computer. Engineers designed needed modifications;
suppliers were consulted for possible delivery
times, and only nineteen days after the Baby-Benz
fell, Schrempp announced the company’s new plan and
timetable.
Daimler–Benz recalled cars from the market and
suspended delivery until February 1998 to make the necessary
changes.The company offered a trade-in option to
about 2,600 European customers who had bought the
A Class before the conducted tests proved that it had a
tipping problem. They were given the choice between
having their own vehicle retooled to prevent the tipping
or trading it for an improved model—all without any
extra payments. For the time the car was retooled, the
company offered its owner the free use of another Mercedes
car. The other 100,000 customers who had already
ordered the car in advance were given the improved
model at the original price.
Production was stopped for more than twelve weeks
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