An A-Class undergoing a performance test at a Daimler facility in Germany. — dpa
STUTTGART: Thanks to the infamous failure of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class 20 years ago during the elk test, cars are safer today. But at the time, it was a marketing disaster for German parent company Daimler.
The common safety test wanted to see what would happen when the "Baby Benz" needed to swerve to dodge an elk - or what North Americans call a moose - that suddenly appears in the road.
On Oct 21, 1997, a crew from the Swedish magazine "Teknikens Vaerld" (World of Technology) carried out the test as part of the contest for European Car of the Year.
The driver wrenched at the wheel to take avoiding action - and the compact car tipped over: The A-Class threw its wheels at the sky and ended up on its roof at the side of the test track.
It was a shock for the driver, and even more so for the three-pointed-star, whose reputation was suddenly on the line.
Gone were the high hopes Daimler had nurtured for the five-door compact, the first genuinely small Mercedes-Benz which it hoped would boost overall sales. Before the test, customers had already taken delivery of the first examples.
While the A-Class obviously did not win car of the year, and the elk test was soon infamous throughout Europe, the car did eventually go on to become a success, ushering in safety features now taken for granted.
"It was a complete disaster for Daimler," recalls industry expert Stefan Bratzel. Mercedes-Benz was a byword for top quality and engineering soundness, and nothing like this had happened before.
The problem was partly caused by the car's high centre of gravity owing to the engine being under the seats. But instead of being lauded for its innovation, the car was at the centre of a media outrage and the butt of jokes worldwide. Daimler halted deliveries while the dust settled.
The Stuttgart company went on the defensive at first, claiming the test was extreme and unrealistic, before moving into damage-control mode while engineers struggled to solve the problem.
The result was an electronic anti-skid system which intervenes when sensors detect that the car is moving off course.
Known as ESP, or electronic stability control, it was fitted right away to the A-Class and countless other cars.
Since 2011, ESP has been mandatory within the European Union for all newly registered cars.
Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche was marketing chief at the time, and he approved the modification which cost the company 100 million German marks a year (around 601 million dollars in today's money).
"The elk test was a catalyst for more active safety measures and now has a firm place in the testing programme," says a Daimler spokesman.
German carmakers were quick to exploit the system as a sales plus before it became a legal requirement for new models and other manufacturers followed suit.
Looking back, Daimler's response to the crisis was successful, says Willi Diez, who heads Germany's Institute for the Automotive Industry.
"The company was able to repair the damage to its image by admitting that it had a problem with the A-Class and by launching a self-deprecating advertising campaign," says the expert.
Mercedes-Benz customers received a soft toy elk as a gift, and tennis star Boris Becker was featured with the slogan: "You are strong when you make no mistakes, but stronger when you learn from the ones you have made."
