Jalopnik
Apparently the market for a hotshot, V8-powered luxury minivan isn't as latent as Mercedes had hoped. But an anemic luxury minivan that looks like an SUV? More of that, please. That's the short version of Mercedes's plan to wring out some sort of a market for its R-Class van. It's dropping the R500 and 'bahn-worthy AMG R63 for the 2008 model year, though the base, V6 model will get the AMG cladding. That's because, according to Automotive News, buyers told Mercedes they wanted the family transporter to look more like an SUV. It turns out well heeled empty nesters, the R-Class's original target, are unimpressed with the R, while prestige-starved soccer moms have flipped over it. But for them, V8 power and an entry price point of $50,000 are unnecessary extravagances. Go, mom.
Mercedes Tweaks Plan for Slow-Selling R-Class
9:03 AM on Mon Aug 13 2007
By Mike Spinelli
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