Mercedes And Ford Dominating Their Segments In U.S.

Both Mercedes-Benz and Ford are proving so successful in certain segments of the U.S. market that few automakers look likely to challenge their supremacy.

According to The Detroit News, Mercedes-Benz has perfectly carved out its position within the luxury segment while Ford continues to rule the world of pickup trucks thanks to its F-Series of vehicles.

“Ford and Mercedes have extraordinary engineering capability. They can slice the cheese so thin,” Auto Trends Consulting auto analyst Joe Phillippi said.

“The Germans can offer you an incredible portfolio of transmissions, styles and drivetrains. For the Detroit Three, pickups are their luxury product — the variable gross-profit numbers are mind-bending.”

A quick look at the value of Mercedes-Benz tells you just how successful the company is. According to the Forbes brand-value index, Mercedes ranks second behind Toyota as the most valuable automaker with a massive $34.4 billion value. For a company that exclusively builds vehicles out of the budget of most people, that’s remarkable.

The secret? Models and variants en masse.

Similarly, Ford’s sales of its F-Series pickups continue to lead the industry. In fact, consumers in North America spent $41.25 billion on F-Series trucks throughout 2017, a figure more than the revenue of either Coca-Cola, Facebook or Nike.

Ford’s F-Series pickup has reigned supreme as the best-selling truck in the United States for 41 years. In recent decades, some of this success can be attributed to Ford’s roll-out of new models, variants and trim levels, offering customers near-limitless freedom when creating their perfect pickup. The F-150, F-250, F-350, and F-450 offer buyers more than 230 choices.

Mercedes has adopted a similar approach throughout the last few years, particularly thanks to the flood of new AMG models, expanding the marque’s range to now encompass more than 70 different models.

“Detroit can configure a truck for whatever application you need. German automakers like Mercedes are doing the same thing in luxury markets in this country,” Phillippi said.