CEOInterviews.AIThe new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Media presentation with Britta Seeger

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Katie1:26

I think that video perfectly highlights that there is an eClass for everyone and I'm thrilled to bring in the lady that knows everything about eClass customers and their preferences. She is here with us today, head of marketing and sales Britta Seeger. Britta, welcome, good morning.

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Britta Seeger1:43

Katie, great to have you in on this chat. And just an exciting time for e-class.

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Katie1:46

Well it is, and you just saw the enthusiastic fan base of our class. So I think we can truly say the e-class is in the heart of our brand. More than 40 million cars have been sold of all the e classes, and only of the current generation more than 1.2 million cars have been sold to enthusiastic fans around the globe. The data doesn't lie. But it's to hear you say that it's at the heart of the brand — that's such a powerful statement. Can you just expand upon that a little bit and what really makes the e-class family so special?

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Britta Seeger2:21

Well, over decades our eClass has been leading in the luxury segment, and we contributed a lot with leading in innovation and especially the Mercedes driving experience that the e-class delivers to our customers, to our brand customers, and a very diverse basis of customers around the globe.

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Katie2:48

In your opinion, what is the most important success factor when it comes to e-class?

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Britta Seeger2:51

Yeah, as I said, over decades the e-class delivered upon innovation, technology, and especially design. This is what our customers appreciate and love so much about the e-class: the driving experience, the Mercedes feeling, the design. And we listen very carefully to our customers. This is why we offer them a very broad product variety from sedan to estate, coupé, cabriolet, and all the way down to the All-Terrain model.

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Katie3:22

Oh, I know you agree with all these statements, correct? I'm getting fired up here. Maybe I need to expand my garage, see if I can put something in there.

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Britta Seeger3:31

Yes, it sounds like a wise choice.

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Katie3:32

You know Brit, we talked about the loyalty and you also noted it's not just the driving but it's also let's talk about the time savings because I think this is so paramount to people's what they want. Everyone individual is trying to save time now and they get that opportunity in that feature.

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Britta Seeger3:48

Well, that's absolutely true. And we see the true luxury as of today is time, and everything we can do to our very loyal customer base in the e-class — and not only the e-class but mainly the e-class — where eight out of ten customers plan absolutely to buy another Mercedes. So we owe them something: we owe them convenience and the true luxury experience of time saving. So we believe that digitization can be of a big support in that regard. So we truly believe going forward, by 2025 more than 80% of our customers will book their service appointment online, triggered by us with a variety of different options. We offer them individual offers and then with one click they can book their service appointment. And I think this is for the benefit of our customers.

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Katie4:45

I think you're driving the focus on digitalization, which we've discussed earlier, and I mean that's a perfect example right there. And it's so critical for in terms of your business overall strategy.

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Britta Seeger4:55

Yeah, that's totally true. This is why in our Best Customer Experience 4.0 activities, we concentrate very much on all contact points with the customers, whether it's in retail or online, in order to simplify the life and the interaction with the brand of Mercedes. And not only on the service appointment side, but as well on the sales side, where we truly believe by offering possibilities to the customer, by 2025 more than 25% of our total sales will be done and executed online. And I think this is a true commitment to our customers. This exciting time, very much so.

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Katie5:33

I'd be remiss not to mention that as a business sedan, it's also just great in that vertical as well. One thing that's worth highlighting when it comes to e-class.

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Britta Seeger5:43

Yeah, absolutely. As I said, mainly 50% of our customers as of today are business customers, and in addition they love the design, they love the driving experience, and they love the convenience with our eClass. And we want to do everything to make life with any class and Mercedes as convenient as possible.

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Katie6:03

Great insights, Britta, your point of view. I mean there's tons of features that are to be excited about right here, but is there any personal highlight that stands out for you?

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Britta Seeger6:12

Well, as you said, there's a ton of technical features and how to pick one. But if I had to pick one, let me start with electrification and what is supporting our goal of sustainability and CO2 reduction. It's the electrification of the powertrain. So we start with a basic electrification of our four-cylinder engines, electrifying with 48 volts our diesel engine, and adding an ISG — the integrated starter generator. But also we are introducing today the new four-cylinder gasoline engine also supported by 48 volts and ISG. So that's a great way towards CO2 reduction. For anyone tuned in asking what about plug-ins for eClass? Well, there's not only one plug-in, there are seven plug-ins — diesel and gasoline plug-ins — so the right choice to pick from. And you know I love to talk about the latest and greatest tech and gadgets, and I've heard the term, it's been synonymous, that the e-class is a real tech machine. And perhaps you can explain a little why 360. Well, of course our goal is developing emotional intelligence, and we will see the emotional side later on. But when it comes to intelligence, there are great features. I'm talking about the HMI, the interface between the user and the machine. And we are adapting this machine with the MBUX system, so the car adapts more to the user. With MBUX in the latest version, that's a great way forward. But also the capacitive steering wheel, capacitive switches, and of course the car can be updated over the air and made future-proof. But also the driver assistance systems of the future are incorporated in the car.

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Katie7:53

Excellent. It's cool to talk about new tech and features, but it's even more exciting to give a little reveal. I'll hand it over to you. I think you have something exciting to share, correct?

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Britta Seeger8:02

Well, we have something in store. Let's have a look at the new e-class. You