00:00
Mercedes-Benzisreallydialedinrightnow.
00:02
Andforme,forahugefanofthebrand,comingupon16yearsnowwiththebrand,Ilovetoseeit.
00:09
Weknowthatit'sgoingtohappenatsomepoint.
00:11
Ithasn'tbeenunveiled,buttherewillbeaVLSwhichwillsitaboveit.
00:15
Sothatwillbeevenpotentiallybigger,evenmoreluxurious.
00:18
Iwouldexpectthatthat'sgoingtobeliketheMyBachofminivans.
00:22
ConquestisgettingyoufromonebrandtoMercedes,right?
00:26
Weareconquestingyou.
00:28
Wearebringingyouover.
00:29
We'reupgradingyoufromonebrandtoMercedesBenz.
00:32
AlthoughMercedesisnotsayingthis,Iwill.
00:35
TheC63isnotbeingreplacedatthistime.
00:38
TheC43isbeingupgradedtotheC53.
00:42
AndthatwillbetheinlinesixthatiscurrentlyavailableintheCLE53.
00:49
Uh,IalsohadaninterviewwithTylerHoover,whichwasapinchmemomentforsure.
00:54
TylerbeingamassiveYouTuber,thatwasareallyfunconversationwithhim.
00:59
ProbablythemoststarstruckthatI'vebeenbroughttoyoubyCallReview,thedealershipintelligenceplatformthatconnectseveryconversationtoperformance,fromtheirhostedphonesystemandAI-poweredattendanttoreal-timeanalytics,coaching,
01:29
andreputationinsights.
01:31
CallReviewhelpsyoucaptureeverycall,understandeveryinteraction,andconvertmoreopportunities.
01:37
CallReview,wherecommunicationmeetsintelligence.
01:40
Formoreinformation,visitwww.callreview.com.
01:45
Andrightnow,CallReviewisofferingafreespamcallassessmentifyoumentionthecodeBOTIwhenconnectingwiththemtolearnmore.
01:52
WelcometoalivetapingoftheDougHornerShow,everybody.
01:56
Ifyou'rewatchingthisrightnow,welcome.
01:58
Thankyouforbeinghere.
01:59
Ifyou'rewatchingitlater,thisepisodeisgoingtobeentirelydedicatedtotalkingaboutMercedes-Benzin2026andbeyondallofthethingsthatarehappeningwiththebrand,newproducts,thingsthathavebeenunveiled,directionofthecompany.
02:14
It'saveryexcitingyearforMercedesBenzbecausejustabouteverysinglecarthatwehaveisgettingeitherrefreshedorcompletelyredesignedformodelyear2027ormodelyear2028.
02:26
Sojustabouteverynameplateisgoingtobenewinsomecapacity,allnewtechnology.
02:31
It'sjust,it'savery,veryexcitingyear.
02:34
Sothankyoueverybodyforbeinghere.
02:36
IwilltakelivequestionsasIgotoday,butIwanttodiscussacoupleofthethingsthatI'mincrediblyexcitedabout.
02:44
TheGLEandtheGLSwerejustcompletelyredesigned.
02:48
Theunveilinghappenedonthe31st,sojustacoupledaysago.
02:52
BigfanofthenewexteriorandinteriorstylingfortheGLEandtheGLS.
02:56
Theywentwiththenewsuperscreenthatdebutedfirstintheall-newCLA,whichwejustreceivedourfirstall-electricCLAatthedealership.
03:06
AndI'mgoingtogetalotmorehands-ontimewithittomorrow.
03:08
Butsofar,I'mextremelyimpressed.
03:11
Andinthe40-degreeweatherwehadinClevelandyesterdaywithnearlyafullcharge,thecarwasshowingthatover400milesofrangewaspossible.
03:21
SoIthinkthatastheweatherwarmsupandasthatcargetsexercisedalittlebit,thatwecouldbelooking450plusforrangeonthatnewCLA,whichisjustabsolutelyfantastic.
03:35
TheGLBisalsogoingtobeallnewverysoon.
03:38
Andyou'veseenthenewGLB,IlovethestylingofthatnewSUV.
03:43
IthassomeRangeRovervibesinthebackofitwiththetaillights.
03:46
Ithinkitlooksvery,verycool.
03:47
LookslikethebigRangeRovertruckbackthere.
03:50
Ingeneral,Ithinkthey'veelevatedthatcaraton.
03:53
Can'twaittoseehowitrides,howitdrives,whattheinteriorfitandfinishisgoingtobe.
03:57
Butwe'veallseentheupcomingGLC.
04:01
Thatisgoingtobeahugecar.
04:02
AndjustwiththeCLAandtheGLC,althoughtheyarestartingasEV-onlymodels,theywillnotonlybeEVs.
04:09
That'sjustwhatyou'regoingtoseefirst.
04:10
Andthenafterthat,you'lleventuallyhaveplug-inhybridsthatwillcomeout.
04:14
Andthenthefullgascombustionengineoptions,whichisveryexcitingbecausethesecarshavebeendesignedonthenewMMAplatform,whichisdesignedtobeverymodular,veryadaptable,allowingfordifferentpowertraintypes.
04:28
Sothankyoutoeverybodywhoisheretodayfromallovertheworld,Torontoandeverywhereelse.
04:34
Thistieislookingabitmiley.
04:36
Idoappreciatethat,althoughitisalittlebitmiley.
04:39
Isupposeit'sbeenusedforalittlewhile,butitishangingintherejustfine.
04:43
Acoupleoftheotherthingsthatareveryexciting.
04:45
Theall-newS-Classhasbeenunveiled,andwegotagreatlookatwhattheS-classisgoingtobe,boththatandtheMyBach.
04:52
Theinteriorisgoingtobephenomenal.
04:56
Theexterior,anewgrill,anewilluminatedhoodornament,veryexcitingstuff.
05:01
YoumayhavenoticedthatontheGLS,ifyouwatchedtheunveiling,thatitwillnow,forthefirsttime,haveanoptionalhoodornament.
05:09
Ifyoudon'tgowiththeAMGexteriorpackage,youcangowithahoodornament,whichIthinkissuperclassyandsupercool.
05:15
We'veneverhadthatbefore.
05:16
SoGLE,GLS,GLB,CLA,allofthosearegoingtobenew.
05:21
TheCclasswillfollowinshortorderthatwilllookattheGLC.
05:26
You'llknowexactlywhatyou'regoingtogetwiththeCclass.
05:28
Theseareallvery,veryexcitingthingsthatwe'vegotcoming.
05:32
Andthenwe'vealreadygottheE-Class,whichwasredesignedacoupleyearsago.
05:36
That'stheonlyonethatisn'tgoingtobetouchedprobablyuntilsometimenextyear.
05:40
We'vegotanewfour-doorcoupecomingfromAMG.
05:43
That'sgoingtobeincredible.
05:44
Anewall-electricAMGSUV.
05:47
I'mhearingthatit'sgoingtobekindofPorscheKayancoupevibes,whichisfinebyme.
05:52
That'savery,verygoodlookingcar.
05:56
We'vegotthenewGTBlackSerieshasbeenspiedoutinthewild.
06:01
Ifyou'veseentheBlackSerieswiththatmassivewingtestingattheNurbergring,thisisgoingtobeanepiccar.
06:09
It'sgoingbackafteralltherecordsthatitbrokeafewyearsagoandthenlost.
06:13
2021wasthelasttimethatwehadaBlackSeries.
06:17
Sothatcoulddebutnextyear.
06:20
Thatwouldbeincredible.
06:21
We'vealsogottheG-classCabriolet,whichwecouldexpecttoseesometimein2028.
06:27
Sothat'snotthatfaraway.
06:28
AnditlookslikedetailshaverecentlyleakedoutthatitwillcomeinAMGform.
06:33
SoG63AMGCabriolet,that'sgoingtobeanincrediblecar,goingtobethebaneoftheexistenceofanyMercedes-Benzdealeroutthere,asI'msureeveryoneintheworldisgoingtowantone.
06:43
We'vealsoalreadyhadanoverwhelmingnumberofpeoplereachoutonthatcar.
06:49
Let'snotforgetabouttheBabyGisgoingtobecomingoutinthenextfewyearsaswell.
06:54
Andfromwhatwecanseeinspyshots,itdoeslooklikeitwillbeaminiatureG-Wagon.
07:00
Sothat'sgoingtobeaverycoolvehiclethatwillmaketheGclassveryaccessibleinwaysthatitisn'trightnow.
07:07
TheG63sarewellover$200,000inmostcases.
07:11
SotohaveababyGthatIexpectwouldslotsomewhereinthe70to90rangewillbeaverynicevehicletoaddtotheportfolioaswell.
07:21
ThankyoutoeverybodythatistuninginfromYouTubeandFacebookandTikTokandeverywhereelse.
07:26
Idoappreciateyoubeingheretoday.
07:28
ThisistheDougHornerShow.
07:30
Wewilleditthisdownintoalittlebitmoreofaconciseepisodeforallofyouthatarelistening,butalotofverycoolthingstotalkabout.
07:38
ProbablythethingthatIammostexcitedabout,andthisisgoingtosurprisealotofpeople,butIhavebeenclamoringforyearsforthis.
07:46
ThenewVLEclass,anactualluxuryminivanthatMercedesBenzisgoingtobringheretotheUnitedStatesandsell.
07:57
Itisaproperminivan.
07:59
It'sextremelyluxurious.
08:01
Itistonsofdifferentconfigurationoptions.
08:04
It'sgotkindofaMyBachtypeexterior.
08:07
It'sgotanAMGlineexterior.
08:09
It'sgotthestandardexterior.
08:10
Andtheninside,eitherasevenoraneightpassengerconfiguration.
08:14
It'sgotseatsthatcanrotateandfaceeachother.
08:17
It'sgotabigcinemadisplaythatwilldropdownfromtheceiling.
08:21
Itisgoingtobeabsolutelyepic.
08:23
NowitwilldebutasanEVonly,butfearnot,hybridandgasengineswillfollow.
08:29
Ithinkthatthereisamarketforanultra-luxuryminivanhereintheUnitedStates.
08:36
Ithinkthiscarisgoingtosellincrediblywell.
08:39
Therehavebeenthreeconsecutiveyearsofincreasesinminivansales.
08:43
Iunderstandthatalotofpeopledon'tlovethem.
08:46
Obviously,theymaynotbethebest-lookingvehiclesintheworld,butforpeoplewhohavefamilies,thereisnothingthatismoreutilitarian,moreusablethanaminivan.
08:55
They'rejustthey'remuchmoreusablethanSUVs.
08:57
Obviously,SUVslookalotbetter.
08:59
AnduhsoIreallythinkthatthisisgonnasellincrediblywell.
09:02
Also,I'msureathletes,celebrities,businesspeoplethatgetdrivenaroundaregoingtolovethisaswell.
09:09
It'sgonnabeagreatshuttle,agreatuhminivanforfamilies.
09:14
Ijustthinkthatthiscarislongoverdue.
09:16
Ibelieveit'sgonnasellinmassive,massivenumbers,evenasanEV,butcertainlyoncethegasenginearrives,possiblyayearlater.
09:24
Thisissomethingthatwewouldexpecttoseeincalendaryear2027asa2028model.
09:29
Andlook,I'montherecordrightnow.
09:32
Ithinkthatthat'sgonnabeasmashhitforMercedes-Benz.
09:35
IthinktheVLE,itlookscool.
09:37
Theinteriorisamazing.
09:39
Andhere'swhat'sevencooler.
09:41
Weknowthatit'sgonnahappenatsomepoint.
09:43
Ithasn'tbeenunveiled,buttherewillbeaVLSwhichwillsitaboveit.
09:47
Sothatwillbeevenpotentiallybigger,evenmoreluxurious.
09:51
Iwouldexpectthatthat'sgonnabeliketheMyBachofminivans.
09:55
Andlook,I'mtellingyouwhat,ifthere'sonerequestthatweactuallydogetprettyfrequently,iscanyougetmeawhatwasaMetrisvanandupfititintoaluxuryshuttle?
10:07
AndnowMercedes-BenzisgoingtobemakingthatandsellingithereintheStates.
10:11
Ireallythinkthatit'sgonnadotremendouslywellbecauserightnow,ifyouwantasuperniceminivan,yourbestoptionprobablyisaloadedToyotaSequoiaoraHondaOdyssey.
10:23
Andthoseareverynicevans,butthey'renotparticularlyexciting.
10:26
Theydon'tlookthatgreat.
10:28
Thestylingisn'tthatuhphenomenal.
10:30
Andattheendoftheday,they'renotluxurycars,althoughtheyhavegottenvery,verynice.
10:35
SoIthinkthatMercedesisgoingtocompetewithnooneinthissegment.
10:38
It'sgonnabeabsolutelyjustit'sgonnabedominant,andIcan'twaitforit.
10:43
Andifyou'renotalreadyfollowingandwatchingandlisteningtotheDougHornershow,Iwouldmassivelyappreciateyoudoingthat.
10:51
Obviously,it'sgotitsownYouTubechannel.
10:53
Wouldloveforyoutofollowthere.
10:54
It'sbeenafantasticjourney.
10:57
AndthisisthefirstepisodethatI'vedonewhereI'mnottalkingtosomebodyelse,butIjusthavereallywantedforalongtimenowtotalkaboutallofthenewandexcitingthingsthatarehappeningwithMercedes-BenzbecauseIlovethisbrandsomuch.
11:10
I'vebeenwithitsince2010.
11:13
Andobviously,likeanybrand,you'vegotyearswherethere'salotofnewproductandeverything'sveryexciting.
11:19
Andthenyou'vegotsomeyearswherethere'snotsomuchnewproductanditmightbealittlelessexciting.
11:24
Butrightnow,thenumberofnewvehiclesthatarecomingthisyear,nextyear,intothefuture,it'sjustincredible.
11:32
Allofour43variantsarebeingreplacedwith53s.
11:35
IsawsomebodymentiontheC53.
11:38
That'sgoingtobeaverycoolcar.
11:40
Essentially,allofthefour-cylinderAMGsaregoingawayandaregoingtobereplacedwithinlinesixes.
11:46
Eventually,weshouldexpecttoseesome63variantswherewecurrentlydon'thavethem.
11:51
TherearealotofrumorsabouttheCLE63.
11:54
Obviously,thatthathasbeenoneofthemostrequestedvehicles.
11:57
IfIhadadollarforeverytimeIwasaskedabouttheCLE63,thatwouldbeabigpileofchange.
12:03
Butthere'srumorsthatitmightbeavery,verylimitedmythosedition,whichisgoingtobeakindofsub-variantofMercedes-Benz,averylimitedproductioncar,possiblyonly30unitsintheworld.
12:17
IhopethatthatisnottheonlyvariantofCLE63thatweget.
12:22
Ireally,trulyhopethatthatbecomesaregularproductioncarinsomecapacity.
12:26
Iftheywanttodoamythosvariantofit,byallmeans,wewouldlovetohaveanynumberedcarisgoingtobeamazingtohave.
12:33
AndIlovethatMercedes-Benzisstartingtoleanintothat.
12:38
UhBMWLaddasks,Doug,doyoulikethenewGLS?
12:42
IthinkthattherefreshthattheGLSgotin2024wasprettymild.
12:46
Ilikethatthisisnowamuchbolderlookingvehicle.
12:51
Iwasn'tinlovewiththeheadlightswhenIfirstsawthem,butnowthatI'veseenthecarfrommoreanglesandI'veseenmorepictures,it'sstartingtogrowonme.
12:58
AndIdothinkthatitactuallyremindsmealotoftheoriginalGL.
13:03
TheGLsofthelate2000sandearly2010shadaverysimilarlooking,largerheadlightlikethat.
13:11
AndIthinkitactuallydoesmakethefrontendofthevehiclelookalotbolder.
13:15
Ilovethenewstarsandthetaillightsandtheheadlights.
13:18
That'sgoingtobeathemethatyouseereallyonallMercedesBenzmovingforward.
13:22
AndIknowthatsomepeoplesay,oh,maybeit'stoomuch,butIthinkthatreallyit'ssoepicandit'ssomethingthatonlyMercedesBenzcando.
13:30
Imean,thethree-pointedstarisiconic,anditwhynot?
13:35
Becauseit'suhitlooksgood.
13:38
Itletseverybodyknowthisiswhatitis.
13:40
Imean,it'sbecomingmoreofathingtohaveilluminatedfixturesatnightsothatyoucanseewhatitisthat'soutontheroad.
13:49
We'vegotilluminatedgrillsnow.
13:51
We'vegotthestarsandtheinthetaillightsandtheheadlights,andwe'veevengotsomeilluminatedhoodornamentscoming.
13:56
It'sallveryexcitingstuff.
13:57
AndIthinkthatonceyouseeitoutontheroad,you'regonnaloveit.
14:01
Whetheryouwhetherornotyoulikethepictures,that'sthat'sadifferentthing.
14:06
Sotheall-newCLAhaslanded.
14:09
Yes,thatisuhwejustreceivedourfirstoneafewdaysago.
14:13
AndletmejusttalkaboutthiscarforaminutebecauseIdon'tknowthateverybodyunderstandsfullyhowamazingthisvehicleis.
14:19
Firstofall,ifyoulookituponline,IhavenotfoundanybadpressonthenewCLAyet.
14:25
Unanimously,everybodylovesit.
14:27
Therangeisgoingtobeepic.
14:29
I'mpredictingthatontheCLA250plusthatyoumightseerangeapproaching500milesinwarmweatherconditionsifthecarisbeingdrivenmoderately.
14:39
That'sjustmyprediction.
14:41
Mercedes-Benzisnotstandingbehindthatnumber,butbasedonwhatI'mseeing,itwouldn'tsurprisemeatall.
14:47
Andthesecars,wellequipped,haveMSRPsinthelow$50,000range,whichisamazing.
14:54
That'sapricepointthatisgoingdirectlyaftertheTeslaModel3.
14:59
Mercedes-BenziswantstogetaEVoutthereforthemasses.
15:05
Andlook,youcansaywhatyouwantaboutEVdepreciationoverthelastseveralyears.
15:10
Alotofthatisduetoinflatedpricesoncarsandgovernmentsubsidiesontheprices.
15:15
Butnowthatwedon'texistinthatworldanymore,Ithinkyou'regoingtoseemuchmorenormaldepreciationcurvesfortheseEVs.
15:23
Andlook,partofthereasonthatluxurycarsseemliketheydepreciatealotmoreisthatthey'remoreexpensive.
15:28
Sotheyhavefurthertofall.
15:30
Butwhenyouhavea$50,000pricepoint,youhavesignificantlythere'slessdistancetofallbackdowntozero,whichiswhyHondas,Toyotas,andothervehicleslikethatovertheyearshavealwaysbeensuchgreatbargains,isthatwhenyoustartatalowerpricepoint,youhavealotlessdistancetotraveldown,right?
15:50
Sothis,Ithink,isgoingtobeatremendous,tremendousvehicle.
15:55
Ibelievethatit'sgoingtosellinhugenumbers.
15:57
Thetechnologyisincredible.
15:59
MercedesBenzhasdrivepilotcoming.
16:02
There'sallkindsofadvanceddriverassistancethat'sgoingtobeavailablethatissignificantlymoreadvancedthanwhatisinthecarstodayandmoretocomelater.
16:10
UnderstandthatalotofthecapabilitiesthattheseMercedesBenzeshavefromdriverassistancetechnologiesuhexist.
16:17
They'rejustnothereyetintheStatesforuhlegalreasons,really.
16:21
They'renotplayingbythesamesetofrulesthatTeslais,whichiswhyyoudon'tnecessarilyhaveallofthatsametypeofuhtechnology.
16:28
Butthetheabilityisthereforsure.
16:31
SoveryexcitedforthenewCLA.
16:34
Iencourageyoutocomeandtestdriveoneifyouhavetheabilitytodothat.
16:39
I'mgonnagetsomehands-ontimewiththevehiclemyselftomorrow,nowthatwe'vegotitfullyactivatedandsetupwithallthenewtechnology.
16:46
AnduhtheMercedesappisalsogonnabefreeforthelifetimeofthevehicle'suhfirstowner,whichisfantastic.
16:52
Soifyoubuythatcaroryouleaseit,allofthefeaturesandtechnologyuhyouwillhaveforlifetime.
16:58
There'sthere'snotgonnabeaone-yearlimitanymoreonsomeofthefunctionalitylikeyouhaveonsomeofourcarstoday.
17:04
Um,doIexpecttheVLEtocomewithasix-figurepricetagorahighfivefigures?
17:08
Ido,Brent,thinkthatit'sgonnabeahighfivefigurescar.
17:12
I'msurethatinitshighesttrims,witheveryoptionselected,youcouldgetitintothesixfigures.
17:17
Icoulddefinitelyseethathappening.
17:19
ButIdoexpectthatthisisgoingtobemaybea$60,000to$80,000vaninmostconfigurations,whichreallydoesn'tmakeiteventhatmuchmoreexpensivethanaloadedOdysseyorSequoia,right?
17:32
It'sit'samazinghowexpensivesomeofthosevehicleshavegotten.
17:34
Soforanyminivanaficionadosoutthere,ifyou'renotfamiliarwiththeVLEyet,Idoencourageyoutolookitup.
17:41
It'sgoingtobesuchacoolcar.
17:44
TheuhBlackSeries,bignewshere.
17:46
I'msurealotofyouthatareuhMercedesBenzfansorjustcarfansingeneralsawthespyshotsofthenewBlackSeriestestingwiththenewGT3car.
17:57
AndI'mveryexcitedaboutthefutureofthat.
18:00
Ithinkthatthatisgoingtobeanabsolutetrackmachine.
18:03
Sothere'sjustsomanyexcitingthingsuhthatarecomingforMercedesBenzinthenextcoupleofyears.
18:10
Anduh,yes,Imeanlook,I'mbiased,butuhIpickedthisbrandforareasonbackin2010.
18:16
I'vestuckwithitforareason.
18:18
Andit'sjustrightnow,it'stheverybeginningofwhatwillbeaveryuhexcitingfewyearshere,reallyupuntilprobably2030andbeyond.
18:28
It'sgonnabemorenewproductsthanyoucanevenimagine.
18:31
Soyes,absolutelyafullreviewofthatMercedesVLEwhenthetimecomes.
18:40
So,reallybytheendofthisyear,we'retalkingaboutthenewGLE,thenewGLS.
18:45
Now,earlyintonextyeariswhenwewouldexpecttoseetheGLC,theGLB.
18:50
I'mnotanticipatingthatwewillseethosethisyear.
18:52
Andsomeothernews,Idon'thaveconfirmationonthis,butI'mreasonablyconfidentthattheGLAwillbedoneintheUnitedStates.
18:59
Idon'tbelievethattheGLAisgoingtoberenewedfortheUnitedStatesmarket.
19:04
There'snoinformationonit,althoughwe'veseenjustabouteverythingelse.
19:08
Anduhitjustdoesn'tseemtobeontheproductroadmapmovingforward.
19:12
SoifyouliketheGLA,whichisthesmallestentry-levelSUVthatwehave,I'vealwaysaffectionatelyreferredtoitasthehatchbackonstilts.
19:21
Thisisprobablygoingtobeyourlastopportunitytogetonebecauseitdoesnotappearthattherewillbefurtherproductiononthatcarforthestates.
19:30
Andthatwouldmakesensetome.
19:31
IthinktheGLBisagreatentrypointtothebrand.
19:34
AndthentheGLCisabigstepupinluxury.
19:37
Thankyoutoeverybodyagainwhoistuningintoday.
19:40
ThisisgoingtobeontheDougHornerShow.
19:43
Andagain,ifyouhaven'ttunedintotheDougHornerShow,alotofveryinterestinginterviewsonthatchannel.
19:48
Uh,pleasegooverandsubscribeorfollowalongonApplePodcasts,Spotify,whereveryoulistentoyourpodcast.
19:55
I'veintervieweduhGeorgeSalibanthere,Russflipswhips,TommyfromDelivered.
20:00
Thatwasafantasticinterview.
20:02
I'vealsotalkedtoBillythecarkid.
20:05
Bothofthemdouhthesamething.
20:07
Theyarecarnegotiators.
20:09
I'vetalkedtouhRaulThomsaonuhoftheVincier.
20:14
She'sanotherMercedes-Benzguy,veryexcitedforhim.
20:17
UhIalsohadaninterviewwithTylerHoover,whichwasapinchmemomentforsure.
20:22
TylerbeingamassiveYouTuber,thatwasareallyfunconversationwithhim.
20:27
ProbablythemostumstarstruckthatI'vebeenonuhonaninterview.
20:32
UhTylerisaveryawesomeguy.
20:34
He'sveryhighenergy,itwasarealpleasuretotalkwithhim.
20:37
ButuhIdefinitelyfeltafterwardslikeIwasuhIIfeltIsoundedlikeabitofanidiot,uh,orfeltlikeoneanyway.
20:45
So,butagain,reallyawesomeconversations.
20:47
It'sbeenapleasure,andIhopethatyoualltunein.
20:50
UhI'vebeenuhblessedtobesponsoredbyCallReviewonuhtheDougHornerShow,areallyfantasticcompanythatifyou'reinthedealershipworld,I'msureyou'refamiliarwithCallReview.
21:00
They'retheyhaveafantasticuhphonesystemandmonitoringsystem.
21:05
ButuhallofthebackgroundsthatIchoose,andIchooseablackwall,it'sactuallydarkblue.
21:10
Itisactuallyadarkbluewall.
21:12
It'snotblack,althoughthelightsmightmakeitappearthatway.
21:16
So,whatelsedowehave?
21:18
Uhwe'vegotI'dlovetotakesomequestions.
21:22
AnyonethathasquestionsspecifictoupcomingMercedes-Benzmodels,nowwouldbeagreattime.
21:29
UhisMercedes-BenzcontributingtoinfrastructureintheU.S.
21:32
Uh,theyaregoingto,well,soMercedesBenzisgoingtobeputtinganother$4billionintotheirplantinVance,Alabama.
21:39
They'regoingtobemovingGLCproductionfromoverseasheretothestatesbeginningin2027.
21:46
That'sabigdealbecausetheGLCisnowthenumberonesellingnameplateforMercedesBenz,andmostofthosesalesarehappeningrighthereinAmerica.
21:53
Soitmakesalotofsensetobuildthecarhere.
21:56
Atthatpoint,thatwouldmeanthatalloftheSUV'sOutsideoftheGLBwouldbebuilthereinAmerica.
22:04
AmericansloveSUV,sowhynotbuildthemhere?
22:07
NowIwilltouchforamomentwhilewe'reonthisinterviewthatthisinterviewisbeingconducted.
22:13
Andbyinterview,ImeanthisconversationwithmyselfishappeninghereinearlyApril.
22:18
AndMercedesreleasedprogramsyesterdaythatIthoughtwereextremelycreativeandexciting.
22:24
OnethingthatI'mveryexcitedaboutingeneralforthisyearisthenewdirectionandleadershipteam.
22:29
SoAdamChamberlaincamebacktoMercedes-BenzaftersometimeawaywithLithiaandAstonMartinandmaybeanotherthingortwointhere.
22:39
ButAdamisjustanabsoluteuhdynamo.
22:43
He'sagreatcommunicator,andhe'snowatthehelmofMercedes-BenzUSA,andhehasbeenabletoreallygetuhtherelationshipswithdealersmovingintherightdirection.
22:52
Andhe'shadandhisteamhaveputtogethersomejustfantasticprogramstoreallygoaftermarketshareagain.
23:00
Soforthoseofyouuhthatpayattention,andandallofyouknowthistosomedegree,buttheCOVIDyearhascreateduhjustamessingeneral,right,forallmanufacturers.
23:09
Productionwasslashed,uh,theyuhcouldn'tmeetdemand.
23:12
Nobodyreallyknewhowtohandleasituationlikethat.
23:15
Andsoalotofpeoplehoppedfromonebrandtoanother,andnowbrandsaredoingtheirbesttogetbackontrackandgobackuhandrecapturepeoplethathadbeenlongtimeloyaliststothebrandsandalsowelcomenewpeopletothebrands.
23:26
Sothismonth,Mercedes-Benzhasacoupleofveryexcitingthingsgoingon.
23:31
So,forone,you'vegot24-monthleasespecialsonalotofprettymuchallofthecoremodelsexceptforSClassandGLS.
23:39
Andwhatthatmeansisthatwithaspecialmoneyfactorthatisnotinlinewiththemoneyfactoronanyotherleaseterm,youareabletoachieveeitherthesameorevenlowerpaymentsona24-monthleasethanyoucouldonathree-yearlease.
23:54
Now,forthoseofyouthatarefamiliarwithleasing,generallyspeaking,theshorterthetermisonthelease,thehigherthepayment,thelongertheterm,thelowerthepayment.
24:03
That'sprettyinlinewithhowitworksonafinance,wherethelongeryoutakeouttheterm,thelowerthepaymentwouldbe.
24:09
Soit'sveryunusualthatyouwouldbeabletodoatwo-yearleaseforlessmoneythanathree-yearlease.
24:15
Andthereasonforthisisthat,again,you'retryingtohandlemoredepreciationinashorterperiodoftime,whichiswhatequalsthathigherpayment.
24:23
SothefactthatMercedesisincentivizingatwo-yearleaseisexcitingbecauseforpeoplewholiketogetinandoutofcarsmorefrequently,whichisthemajorityofAmericans,andletmeclarify,themajoritydoesnotmeaneveryone.
24:36
Itjustmeansmorepeoplethannotprefertogetinandoutofcarsinthreeyearsorless.
24:41
That'sjustwhatthedatatellsus,okay?
24:44
So,yes,therearepeoplethatkeeptheircarsforaverylongtime.
24:48
Thatisasmallnumberofpeople.
24:50
Theytendtobetheloudestpeopleontheinternet,thepeoplethatkeeptheircarsforaverylongtime.
24:55
AndIcanappreciatethat,butthatisnotwhatmostpeopledo.
24:58
Mostpeopleareinandoutofcarseverytwoorthreeyears.
25:00
Andsoforthosepeople,uhanincentivizedtwo-yearleaseisgoingtobevery,veryexciting.
25:08
Additionally,Conquestisback.
25:12
Well,ConquestisgettingyoufromonebrandtoMercedes,right?
25:17
Weareconquestingyou,wearebringingyouover,we'reupgradingyoufromonebrandtoMercedes-Benz.
25:23
Now,thesearegoingtobelimited,right?
25:25
They'regoingtobeallocatedtoeachstorebasedonhistoricalperformance.
25:28
SoIdon'tknowhowmanywewillhaveyet.
25:31
Inthepast,Conquestwasonlyavailabletodriversofcompetitiveluxurybrands.
25:36
ButforthismonthinApril,ifyouhaveanyothercarthatis2020ornewer,anyothercarthatmakesyoueligibletogeta$2,000upgradeorConquestbonusgoingintoaMercedes-Benz.
25:52
Sothatisalotofmoney.
25:53
Thatistwograndjustforowninganothercar.
25:56
Theonlythingisthatitmust,thethenewMercedesthatyoubuy,theregistrationmustmatchtheregistrationoftheothercarthatyouhave.
26:05
Andno,youdonotneedtotradeitin.
26:07
Andanotherfunfact,itcanbeahouseholdvehicle.
26:10
Soifsomebodyinyourhousehold,andbyhouseholdwemeanmatchingregistrationaddress,hasanothervehicle,thenyoucanusetheConquestincentiveforyourself.
26:21
Soforexample,ifyourspousedroveaBMWandyouhad,youknow,aMercedes,theirBMWwouldqualifyyouforanupgradeincentive.
26:31
Okay,sothat'sreally,reallyexciting.
26:34
Andthat'sontopofjustalotoftheotherreallygreatprogramsthatwehaveingeneral.
26:38
Soagain,affordabilityhasbeenanissueforeverymanufacturer.
26:42
ThisisnotisolatedtoMercedes-Benz,butcarshavejustgottenveryexpensiveacrosstheboard.
26:46
Andit'sbeenanexpensivecoupleofyears.
26:49
Somostmanufacturersaregettingwiththeprogram.
26:52
Mercedes-Benzcertainlyhas,andthingsaregettingmuchmoreaffordablebywayofverycreativeincentives,excellentleasingprograms,andevenexcellentfinancingrates,whichissomethingthathistoricallyMercedes-Benzhasusuallybeenveryheavyleasingandnotpayingtoomuchofattentiontothefinancingrates,butnowthey'vegotboth,whichisreallyphenomenal.
27:13
Soassumingthatyou'renotlookingataG-Wagon,there'sgoingtobeanincentiveforyousomewhereinthere.
27:21
Sothisisvery,veryexciting.
27:22
Itgivesusasdealersalotofveryfunthingstotalkaboutwithourpotentialconsumers.
27:28
Idowanttopointout,again,thatforthoseofyouthathavenegativeequitysituationsthatyou'retryingtoundotheseincentivizedtwo-yearleases,willmakeaveryniceoptiontoreallygetoutofthatholeinaslittletimeaspossible.
27:44
Nowrememberthattheshortertheterm,themoreofaneffectnegativeequitywillultimatelyhave.
27:50
Sothegeneralruleofthumbisthatevery$1,000ofnegativeequitythatyouhaveonathree-yearleasewillhaveabouta$30impactonapayment.
27:58
Soforexample,$10,000innegativeequitywouldhaveabouta$300permonthimpactonathree-yearlease.
28:05
Soifacarwasleasingfor$600straightup,andyouhad$10,000innegativeequity,youwouldnowexpecttheresultingpaymenttobe$900.
28:15
Onatwo-yearlease,thatismorelike$45per$1,000.
28:20
Sonow$10,000innegativewouldhaveabouta$450effect.
28:25
However,I'veseenpeoplethatwejustreallywanttogetoutofthisholeinaslittletimeaspossible.
28:32
AndusingloyaltyacceleratorprogramsthatMercedes-Benzhas.
28:37
Youcanreallyevenlookatatwo-yearleasemorelikeaoneandthree-four-searlease.
28:43
Andyeah,that'sareallygreatwaytoundoanegativeequitysituationifyoucantoleratealittlebitofahigherpaymentforashorttimetokindofundomaybeavehiclethatyouboughtthatyouhate,ormaybeit'sgettingolderandit'sbreakingdownandyoujustdon'twanttodealwithitanymore.
28:57
There'sallkindsofreasonsthatwesee.
28:59
ButAprilof2026,Mercedes-BenzUSAiscomingoutswingingwithabsolutelyfantasticprogramsforleasingorfinancing.
29:09
SoRyanasks,canweexpecttheC43tobringbackaV6?
29:14
Andtheanswerisyes,theC43isgoingaway.
29:17
ItwillbereplacedbytheC53.
29:20
IknowthattheinternetisgenerallysayingthattheC63isgoingawaytobereplacedbytheC53.
29:29
Buttobeclear,althoughMercedesisnotsayingthis,Iwill.
29:33
TheC63isnotbeingreplacedatthistime.
29:37
TheC43isbeingupgradedtotheC53.
29:41
AndthatwillbetheinlinesixthatiscurrentlyavailableintheCLE53.
29:47
Soifyou'veseentheCLE53,driventheCLE53,heardtheCLE53,andyou'reafour-doorbuyerwhowantsaC-class,youshouldbeveryexcitedbecausetheC53andalsotheGLC53aregoingtoberestyledandre-engined.
30:07
Soitwillbeaturboinlinesix.
30:10
Veryexcitingengine.
30:15
Andyes,soDrew,justaboutanyofyou,everybodyisavailableforConquestnowbecauseifyouhaveanothercar,youqualify.
30:24
Ifit's2020ornewer,activeregistrationisrequiredtoqualify.
30:30
NowIcan'tstressthisenough.
30:34
TheseincentivesareallocatedbyMercedes-Benztoeachstorebasedonhistoricalperformances.
30:40
Sosomestoreswillonlyhaveafew,somewillhavealot,buttheyarewhilesupplieslast.
30:46
Theyarenumberedincentives.
30:48
Theyarenotanunlimitednumber.
30:50
Solet'sjustsayhypothetically,Iwasgoingtosell100carsinamonthandIwasgiven20conquestincentives,thenthere'sonly20peoplethatwouldbeeligibleforthat.
31:01
Soifthat'ssomethingthatyouwanttotakeadvantageof,thesoonerthebetter.
31:06
Becauseatleastforussofarthisyear,whenwe'vehadthoseconquestprograms,uh,wearealwaysoutofthembytheendofthemonth.
31:14
Andtheywerealotmorerestrictivethenbecauseitwasonlycompetitiveluxuryvehicles.
31:18
Butnowthateveryonequalifies,Iexpectthatthesearegoingtoflyofftheshelves.
31:25
Soagain,youaretunedintotheDougHornerShowpresentedbyCallReview,andIamsohappytohaveyouallheretoday.
31:33
ThisisaliveversionoftheDougHornerShow,andwe'retalkingaboutMercedes-Benzin2026andbeyond.
31:41
Mercedeshasdoneacoursecorrectionontheirstrategyofbeingallelectricby2030.
31:48
TheyarebringingbackV8engines,theyarebringingbacksix-cylinderenginesinreplacementoffourcylinders.
31:54
Theyarebringingmoreplug-inhybrids,theyarebringingnewEVsthatwillberedesignedtolookjustliketheirgascounterpartcars.
32:02
SothestylingoftheEQs,whichwasspecificonlytoEQs,isgoingaway.
32:08
Thebrandisrockingandrollingrightnow.
32:11
AndIgivethemallthecreditforlisteningtoconsumers,listeningtotheirfansandtheirclientsandtheircustomers,andunderstandingthatweneedtomakeachange.
32:21
Obviously,alotofthedecisionsthatweremadewereessentiallyforcedbygovernmentsoftheworldwithrestrictionsonemissionsandenginesizes,etcetera,butveryexcitingstuff.
32:35
Soallkindsofnewplug-inhybridscomingaswell.
32:38
It'sgoingtobeahugeyearforMercedes-Benzthisyearandnext.
32:42
We'vegotanall-newAMGGTfour-doorcoupecoming.
32:45
Imentionedthatbefore.
32:46
There'sanall-newAMGelectricSUVcoming.
32:49
It'sgoingtobejustaproductonslaught.
32:53
Absolutely,it'sgoingtobeaproductonslaught.
32:55
AndI'mexcitedtoseesomeofthespecialtycarsthatMercedesBenzhasplanned.
33:00
Now,thelastthingIwanttocovertodayisthemanufactureprogrambecauseMercedesBenzisleaninghardintothemanufactureprogram,whichisthecustomizationarmofMercedesBenz.
33:11
Thisiswhatisallowingforjustamassivenumberofpaintsandinteriorsavailableonmanyofourmodelsandmoretocome.
33:20
ManyofyoumighthaveseenthelimegreeninteriorthatIpostedonanS-Classthatwejustrecentlyreceived.
33:27
Thatispartofthemanufacturerinterior.
33:29
Itisbright,itisloud,itisfun,itisunique.
33:32
ItmightbetheonlyS-classwithalimegreeninteriorinthecountryrightnow.
33:36
AndpeoplethatcanaffordtobuyMercedesBenzes,inmanycases,havetheabilitytospendextratogetalevelofcustomizationtomakesomethingbespokeandtrulyuniquetothemthatnobodyelseisgoingtohave.
33:51
Andthemanufactureprogramisreallysteppingupinabigway.
33:54
Notonlydomanyofourmodelsnowhaveover40paintsthatyoucanchoosefrom,butthereisaveryrobustpaint-to-sampleprogram.
34:01
Wehavealreadydonesomeverycoolpaints,andwehavemanymorecoming.
34:05
We'vedonesomeG-WagonsinPorschecolors.
34:08
Soifyou'rethekindofpersonthatsays,youknow,Ireallylovethispaintlineup,butIwanttodomyfavoritepaintfromBentleyorRolls-RoyceorPorscheorAudiorBMW,there'sagoodchancethatMercedes-Benzmanufactureteamcanmakethathappenforyou.
34:22
Andthatiswhattheseultra-luxurybuyerswant.
34:26
Theywanttobeabletomakeittheirownandgetabespokevehicle.
34:30
It'sincrediblycool.
34:32
Thepossibilitiesandthethingsthatthey'vealreadymadeavailableandthenwhattheycandobytestingandthenrecreatingistrulyamazing.
34:41
SoIcan'twaittoseewherethemanufactureprogramgoesfromhereandhowmanymoremodelsitwillexpandtointhefuture.
34:49
Butrightnow,uhthehigher-endmodels,S-ClassandG-WagonGTs,thisiswheretheprimarybulkofthatworkisgoing.
34:59
Butthemanufactureprogramisgoingtobetrulyamazing.
35:01
VerysimilartowhatPorschehasdonewiththeirpainttosampleprogramandtheirexclusivebuilds.
35:08
It'sjustincredibly,incrediblycool.
35:10
Sowe'vegotthemanufactureprogram.
35:13
We'vegotalotofverylimitedproductioncarsthatwillbecominginthenearfuture.
35:17
CollaborationsliketheonethattheyjustdidwithLeBronJamesonhisspecialMyBox.
35:23
Mercedes-Benzisreallydialedinrightnow.
35:25
Andforme,forahugefanofthebrand,comingupon16yearsnowwiththebrand,Ilovetoseeitbecauseit'sfun.
35:34
Imean,Ireallydon'tthinkthere'sabetterbrandintheworldformanyreasons.
35:38
Imean,they'retheinventoroftheautomobile.
35:40
Theirtechnologyisalwaysaheadofthecurve.
35:42
Theirstylinglanguageisfantastic.
35:45
Andtheyhavesomethingforeveryone.
35:46
Imean,Mercedes'sbeenthemodellineupisalmostoverwhelminghowmanychoicesthatwetruly,reallyhave.
35:52
Sothankyouallfortuningintoday.
35:55
ThisisgoingtobeabigyearforMercedes.
35:58
Ifyou'reafanofthebrand,ifyou'renewtothebrand,ifyouwerepreviouslywiththebrand,now'sagoodtimetocomeback.
36:04
Now'sagoodtimetogiveitatryforthefirsttime.
36:07
AndIwillsaythisMercedes-Benzismuchmoreattainablethanyouprobablythinkitis.
36:13
Whetheryou'resomebodywhobuystheircarsandkeepsthemforalongtime,thenewcarsarefantastic.
36:19
Thecertifiedpre-ownedprogramanditsunlimitedmileagewarrantyisbestinclass.
36:24
Orifyou'rethekindofpersonthatwantstogetsomethingneweverytwotothreeyears,theMercedesBenzleasingprogramisfantastic,evenifyoudrivehighmiles.
36:32
Infact,highmileagedrivers,youabsolutelyshouldbeleasing.
36:36
Don'tthrowmoneyawayonacarthatyoubuyanddepreciatesuperquicklybecauseyouownit.
36:42
Thisisthemostexcitingbrandintheworld.
36:45
Thisisgoingtobeoneofthebiggestyearsforthebrand.
36:47
Andthenfromnowuntil2030,ifyoulikenewandexciting,staytuned.
36:53
MynameisDougHorner.
36:54
ThishasbeentheDougHornerShow.
36:55
Iappreciateyouallbeinghereonthisliveepisode.
36:58
Andplease,ifyou'renotfollowingalready,gotoDougHornerShowonYouTubeorfollowalongonApplePodcastsorSpotify.
37:06
Can'twaittoseeyouallnexttime.
