Why was the Mercedes-Benz R-Class discontinued?
3 Answers
Mercedes-Benz R-Class has not been discontinued for sale yet, but production has ceased. Below is additional information: 1. Origin: Mercedes-Benz is a world-renowned luxury automobile brand. In January 1886, Karl Benz invented the world's first three-wheeled automobile and obtained a patent, earning him the title of 'the inventor of the automobile.' At the same time, Gottlieb Daimler, another founder of Mercedes-Benz, invented the world's first four-wheeled automobile. From then on, the world was changed. In June 1926, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft merged with Benz & Cie. to form Daimler-Benz AG. 2. Impact: As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz boasts a glorious history of 132 years, with its three-pointed star emblem widely recognized across China. In 2017, China became the first single market for Mercedes-Benz to surpass the 600,000 annual sales milestone globally.
Speaking of the discontinuation of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, I have to say the main reason was the weak market performance. This MPV was quite popular when it was first launched, with its 6-seat layout being suitable for both business and family use. However, SUVs like the GLS started gaining more traction later on, stealing a lot of customers. I personally visited a dealership, and the salespeople mentioned that the R-Class only sold single-digit units per month. Mercedes-Benz did the math and realized it wasn’t cost-effective—keeping the production line idle was worse than manufacturing more profitable models like the GLE. Plus, around 2017, the global shift toward new energy vehicles was in full swing, and retrofitting the old platform would have been too expensive. Looking back now, if there had been a hybrid version, it might have lasted a bit longer.
As someone who frequently interacts with automakers, the discontinuation of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class is quite typical. The car's positioning was too vague—it wasn't as practical as the V-Class as an MPV, nor as stylish as an SUV when considered a station wagon. I remember it sold just over 2,000 units in the U.S. back in 2015, and numbers don't lie. Later, Mercedes went all-in on electric vehicles, pouring resources into the EQ series. The R-Class's outdated platform was indeed behind the times; even updating its emissions required a complete chassis redesign, which was prohibitively expensive. Plus, nowadays, seven-seaters are shifting toward new energy vehicles, with models like the Tesla Model X gaining more popularity. Ultimately, the product updates were too slow—going a decade without a major refresh naturally led to its phase-out.
