Dubai: Anyone taking in a first sight of the all-new S500 Coupe (formerly wearing the CL badge) would have a lot to marvel at, given the sculpted look it exudes. All the curves and sharp edges come together to create just the desired effect in the onlooker.
But then Mercedes-Benz just did not stop there — the headlights come studded with 47 Swarovski crystals, stamping the company’s own design narrative.
High art? Extreme bling? Any which way one wants to call it, there is plenty that the carmaker has packed into the model, which comes with a sticker of Dh695,000 and more. (On the inside, there is more output — up 19-hp to 448-hp — than in the previous CL500, which comes from a twin-turbocharged 4.7-litre V8.)
“It’s often an overused term, but I personally believe the S500 Coupe is a paradigm shift within the Mercedes range,” said Karl-Johan Sandesjo, General Manager at Gargash Enterprises, the dealership for Dubai and northern emirates.
“There’s a little bit of more of everything ... the size is bigger and the entertainment features have been upgraded with a touchpad.”
The S500 Coupe’s entry and the imminent one of the CLA 45 AMG (priced at Dh299,000) gives a full house of models for the dealership to cruise through a 20 per cent year-on-year gain in volumes. Between January to September, it sold 5,000 units and something around the 7,000-unit mark for the full-year remains a live possibility.
“The new C-Class was introduced in July, we also have the S-Class coming through in full supply,” Sandesjo added. Plus, the SUV models are making up 30 per cent of volumes.”
With the dealer having an agreement with the manufacturer to have all its imports billed in dollars, the recent euro volatility has had no impact on showroom prices. Instead, it has been offering buyers the option to tailor their service programmes through extended warranties or similar incentives.
It has also been doing well offering to “sponsor” half of the 20 per cent down payment that buyers need to put up as per UAE Central Bank regulations. “This offer now makes up 20 per cent of the total financing ... we don’t see much benefit from having our own financial services subsidiary offering auto financing,” said Sandesjo. “As such most financing deals offered directly from dealerships are essentially from the banks, but with a different branding. We don’t want to get into that.
“Also, our typical customer doesn’t keep a car for a long enough period to warrant a special financing packages. It just won’t work for us.”
With the models doing the talking, it also explains why he is in no hurry to build up new and swanky showrooms. The dealership has been using its existing ones for quite some time now. “I have always felt that cars are not sold based on the premises, but by having staff knowledgeable and passionate about automobiles,” said Sandesjo. “The focus should be on refining the selling process and on the back-end such as after-sales. That’s the way you bring in customers and get them to stay with you as they move up the model chain.”
As for the near term, Gargash Enterprises is keeping its options open for a new facility somewhere in Dubai.
