“I just love coupes because they have sexy bodylines. You feel more fashionable and hip in a coupe,” the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia vice-president told CarSifu at the Nov 2 launch of the C-Class Coupe in Cameron Highlands.
Having arrived in Malaysia four years ago to head Mercedes-Benz’s sales and marketing of passenger cars, Raine’s intention to expand the luxury coupe market was met with scepticism.
Before he launched the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s coupe-line in 2016, Malaysia was neither a coupe market for Mercedes-Benz nor for other manufacturers.
“If I had listened to the people who said that Malaysia is not a coupe market two years ago, we would not have sold more than 500 units of the C-Class coupes today.
“You have to bring the line-up and you need to do it properly. Just bringing the cars here and marketing them half-heartedly will not work,” he said.
Raine said while the C-Class sedan is one of Mercedes-Benz’s top selling traditional models, the C-Class Coupe is sportier and more youthful-looking, enabling it to attract younger affluent customers.
“When we launched the C-Class Coupe in 2016, we made sure there were a lot of test cars for customers to drive. We did not want to be like other manufacturers which have test cars of their key models but not coupes.
“With the C-Class Coupe, we have proven that Malaysia can be a coupe market.”
Being youthful-looking, Raine has the gravitas to pitch coupes to younger, affluent customers, a segment every car maker wants to cultivate.
Raine also said innovation and having the courage to do things differently were the key elements in raising the brand’s benchmark. “If you did everything the way you did yesterday, you will never progress.”
Citing an example, Raine said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia made a bold move by going into the local assembling of high performance models such as the Mercedes-AMG C 43 and GLC 43.
“Nobody except us has gone into local assembling of high performance vehicles.”
Raine said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia had delivered 474 AMG cars in the first nine months of the year.
“That’s a lot of performance cars on Malaysian roads. That’s how we also bring value to every customer as he can save RM100,000 by getting the locally assembled C 43 over the imported version.
Raine also said having an extensive product porfolio was important for Mercedes-Benz’s growth in Malaysia.
“If we were only interested in selling bread-and-butter line-ups, we would not have introduced the GT C, S-Class Coupe and Maybach models in Malaysia,” he said.
Raine said the company still needed to rely on traditional models to make ends meet.
“The introduction of special models are our long-term strategy to elevate the brand’s excitement.
“Even if our customers test-drive our GT C or C 63 Coupe but end up buying the C 300 sedan, it’s a job done for us,” he said. He also said the new C-Class had received an extensively increase in equipment level and value despite a “slight” price uptick.
“The pre-facelift C-Class sedan is a huge success worldwide, and in theory, would not need an upgrade. Our intention was to make a great car even better,” he said.
The new C-Class sedan now comes with a digital instrument cluster and widerscreen cockpit to enhance interior perception. It also gets premium open-pore wood panelling, which was once exclusive to pricier Mercedes-Benz models.
The C 200 variant gets a new turbocharged 1.5-litre engine with an EQ motor boost to improve low-speed performance. Other upgrades are active brake assist, blindspot assist, new multi-function steering wheel and keyless entry and go.
“The C 300 variant, on the other hand, gets additional lane keeping assist, parking assist and 360 degree camera view which are worth a lot of money.
“The C 300 also gets the Diamond grille and the AMG multi-spoke wheel, which were available in the previous C 43 variant,” said Raine.
He believes 2019 would be the year of SUVs for Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and exciting models are already planned for roll-out.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia posted a record-breaking first nine months’ performance in 2018, resulting in 10,143 cars delivered which was a 16% growth compared to the same period last year.
