2011 LA Auto Show: Mercedes Benz

So you might have been wondering; "you've named all these car companies with electric vehicles at the LA Auto Show, what about the company that makes the fuel cell car you're driving?"  I've been really debating how to go about this for the last couple days, but there really is no easy way to say this: Mercedes Benz didn't have anything at the LA Auto Show I could report on.

And it pains me to point out that Los Angeles is the only market where the Mercedes Benz F-Cell Hydrogen Fuel Cell car is currently available in the United States, and it's also the only real market in the US where there are enough hydrogen fueling stations to permit any consumer market for fuel cell vehicles.  Additionally, with the possible exception of the Tokyo Motor Show, the LA Auto Show is the single most significant international auto show to focus on alternative fuel and eco-friendly propulsion.  And despite all these facts, Mercedes Benz USA did not find the budget, the strategic marketing need, the brand building benefit or the sales importance to invest in having a F-Cell somewhere in the booth at the LA Auto show.

As previously discussed in prior posts, Mecedes Benz's competitors from Munich and Ingolstadt prominently had electric and alternative power vehicles on display.  In fact, electric and hybrid power were the cornerstones of BMW's press conference with the North American debut of their i3 and i8 concept vehicles, as well as the new 1-series based electric car.  They were still able to maintain their performance message by showing their new M5 sedan, the first time most people had seen it in person.  

While Audi's press conference focus was on their new sporty and performance oriented S8 and S6 models, they still found enough reason to have on the show floor their e-Tron Spyder concept as well as an A3 e-Tron concept hatchback which gives a preview of an actual production plug-in electric car.

Even Porsche had a dedicated section of their booth to their Hybrid technology, showcasing the Panamera hybrid sedan and the Cayenne hybrid SUV.  It seems like all of Mercedes Benz's German rivals found the marketing benefits and the strategic need to have some sort of alternative fuel technology as part of their overall marketing message during the LA Auto Show.  And this is in addition to all the Asian companies like Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi, as well as American companies like General Motors and Ford Motor Company who had some sort of alternative technology on display, somewhere in their booth.   


So it begs the question: what the hell was Mercedes-Benz USA thinking, and if they didn't show an F-Cell, what did they show?

As clearly seen with their German rivals, performance still sells, and Mercedes-Benz didn't lose any time promoting their AMG line of powerful cars, with the introduction of the ML63 AMG SUV.  Also on hand, rounding out the AMG message were the new C63 AMG coupe Black edition and the AMG SLS supercar.  They even found room to place a redundant C63 AMG sedan stickered up merely to promote the AMG Driving Academy.  They even found room to place a single Maybach 57, the slow selling, ultra-premium luxury sedan.  They even even found room to place a dedicated display for the Sprinter commercial vans.  And of course, on hand were all the other C, E, S, CL, GL and ML class sedans and SUVs.

By not having a F-Cell on the floor, at the same show they announced the introduction of the F-Cell last year, in the only region where the F-Cell is offered to customers, in the only market that can sustain a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, at the second most important international auto show for environmental and alternative fuel technology, I'm afraid it communicates that the F-Cell is of no consequence and marketing importance to Mercedes Benz USA, and is being supported only when it has to be because the German parent company Daimler dictates it to the US subsidiary. Additionally, the sales and marketing department of MBUSA, which presumably controls marketing dollars and auto show communications, finds absolutely no real benefit to promote fuel cell technology which is being, in essence, forced down it's throat by parent Daimler.  I am assuming that MBUSA's sales department sees the F-Cell as merely taking valuable resources and funding away from their primary objective, which is merely to move sheetmetal on the ground, with emphasis on profitable AMG sheetmetal at that, at its US dealer network.  At least this is the conclusion one can come to, based solely on what was seen at the LA Auto Show. 

While I agree with promoting and raising awareness of the important commercial vehicle market with the Sprinter commercial vans, MBUSA, through its auto show display at LA, is basically saying that the underwhelming Maybach brand, which already has a foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, and a narrow-appeal, niche driving school, are both more important than the future of personal mobility.   

As a customer of Mercedes Benz's revolutionary F-Cell, and as an early acceptor of hydrogen fuel cell technology, I am extremely disappointed that MBUSA would fail to support Dailmer's global leadership position in hydrogen fuel cell technology by not showing the F-Cell in its most critical strategic market.  While more news on the subject of fuel cells may be in the works for the upcoming auto show in Detroit or during Daimler Chairman Dr. Zetsche's presentation during the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, to not have one F-Cell on the show floor in Los Angeles is a gross error in marketing communications judgement.  And if not my own convictions towards promoting future technologies, MBUSA need only look at every single booth of their major competitors to realize the critical tactical mistake made during the LA Auto Show.