Button was offered more money at Brawn than at McLaren. His move had little to do with money.
Button was offered more money at Brawn than at McLaren. His move had little to do with money.
well... in 2008 my parents bought a brand new lancer because i told 'em to do so..... it's going to be mine in a year or so... =D (hopefully)
Only relevant if you're trying to sell sports cars, which Mercedes don't.
However, I think Mecedes involvment with F1 is more important to their sales than actually winning the championship, (constructors or otherwise). 99.99% of the car buying public have no interest in F1, they only know it's the "pinacle" of motorsports, so just being involved in F1 is enough as joe public care about, (if they care at all). Essentially being involved in F1 only really gives Mercedes a single marketing angle i.e. "developed from F1 technology", it's down to their ad execs to milk that as far as it can go. Not much mileage in such an angle for in-car navigation systems and other comfort/luxuary accessories. Mercedes is a luxuary car manufacturer, so who know what they'll actually get out of being involved in F1 marketing wise.
I'm no marketing expert, but there are so many angles...
"Mercedes Onboard Navigation is developed from our F1 Technology, to get you from A to B faster, safer and more efficiently."
"Our safety structure is derrived from lessons learnt in F1, making a Mercedes the safest place to be."
"A Mercedes engine will ensure that you get to your important meetings every time on time, so that you get pole position with your contract negotiations."
(you can tell I'm not in marketing, but it's not difficult to think of examples).
"Mercedes Onboard Navigation is developed from our F1 Technology, to get you from A to B faster, safer and more efficiently."
"Our safety structure is derrived from lessons learnt in F1, making a Mercedes the safest place to be."
"A Mercedes engine will ensure that you get to your important meetings every time on time, so that you get pole position with your contract negotiations."
(you can tell I'm not in marketing, but it's not difficult to think of examples).
Oh I don't know..clearly you've missed your true vocation
Well not being in marketing either I forgot how tenous the association can be before marketing guys will grab it with both hands and wring its neck. Of course you're right they can make any claims they want really, how many of them will actually make sense or will be persuasive is another matter. Not that marketing guys ever cared about that!
Anyway, best form of marketing is simple brand awareness and involvement in F1 isn't going to boost that for Mercedes in any way I can see.
Not really, when boring companies can benefit from F1 while they are only doing system management or logistics.....thera are many angles to it.
say "pursuit for perfection", "innovation", "continuing a legacy" (the fangio days), or "world class engineering" etc etc
There's a lot to it.
Brand image. Success attracts attention and fans. No need for a tag line. How many manufacturers get mentioned in such a positive way on TV News broadcasts? Even if you're not a fan, hearing the name mentioned regularly in such a context is only going to impress a picture of excellence onto your mind.
Then maybe you go and see the Merc even though you really liked the Jag.
Then maybe you go and see the Merc even though you really liked the Jag.
wouldnt an f1 technology satnav only get you from a to ... well a after driving around in circles for 300km
Yes you have to drive around voor 300 km, till your fueltank is almost empty, then it navigates you into a truck that brings you to B.
Ofcourse they make sports cars, don't be so thick lol
It still counts as something anyway, everyone knows Mercedes as a fast, luxury car manufacturer with a good history of cars. F1 is just a bonus and if people know something about F1 and know mercedes history in F1 and had the money why would they not be more tempted to buy one? I agree they can't make that much in car sales from F1 but theres lots of other way to make money, you get silly amounts of money in the championship table for each place you finish. Merchandise etc etc
But yeah, when it comes to the cars, aslong as people assosiate Mercedes with speed and luxury i don't think they are too bothered, its all brand awareness.
It still counts as something anyway, everyone knows Mercedes as a fast, luxury car manufacturer with a good history of cars. F1 is just a bonus and if people know something about F1 and know mercedes history in F1 and had the money why would they not be more tempted to buy one? I agree they can't make that much in car sales from F1 but theres lots of other way to make money, you get silly amounts of money in the championship table for each place you finish. Merchandise etc etc
But yeah, when it comes to the cars, aslong as people assosiate Mercedes with speed and luxury i don't think they are too bothered, its all brand awareness.
Do Mercedes make sports cars? They make touring cars, and grand touring cars, they make convertibles, and they make normal everyday saloon cars. But I can't think of a sports car they make (at least not in the sub £150,000 bracket).
If you define a "sports car" as a car whose main purpose is for fun and fast driving, then whether you think they're very good at that or not, they do make those 
And let's face it, a 2 ton barge with a 5555 litre engine is not everyone's idea of "fun".
Toyota were even worse though. During their spell in F1 they ceased production of anything even remotely "sporty", and they spent more than any of the others.
And let's face it, a 2 ton barge with a 5555 litre engine is not everyone's idea of "fun".
Toyota were even worse though. During their spell in F1 they ceased production of anything even remotely "sporty", and they spent more than any of the others.
Yeah but see Ralph didn't leave F1, F1 left him... And although he's just announced he's coming out of retirement he doesn't actually have an F1 team to drive for.
This announcement actually has the same hallmarks as his driving, he hasn't thought it through before acting and ended up flat on his face...
Have I bashed him enough or shall I carry on?
Id count the SLK as a sports car, suppose the MX5 isn't a sports car either then by you logic?
No need to nit pick, you know the point im getting at, if thats all you can contribute then maybe it would be better not to post?
No need to nit pick, you know the point im getting at, if thats all you can contribute then maybe it would be better not to post?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_car
The SLK is no way a sports car. Too dumpy, fat and uncommunicative. A Focus RS isn't a sports car. Neither is a Peugeot 207 CC, or a Escort Cabriolet... An MX-5 is (that was it's design intent from the beginning), as is an MGTF (although, of course, they failed a bit, even if the TF is far better than the F).
Yes, it comes down to your perception. But I personally can't think of a sports car that Mercedes make. If you're thinking of a car to trackday, you never think of Mercedes.
The SLK is no way a sports car. Too dumpy, fat and uncommunicative. A Focus RS isn't a sports car. Neither is a Peugeot 207 CC, or a Escort Cabriolet... An MX-5 is (that was it's design intent from the beginning), as is an MGTF (although, of course, they failed a bit, even if the TF is far better than the F).
Yes, it comes down to your perception. But I personally can't think of a sports car that Mercedes make. If you're thinking of a car to trackday, you never think of Mercedes.
Well imo it is a sports car, we had one as a courtesy car and it was alright... Depends what you want from a car, not everyone wants to do trackdays.
http://equivocality.com/images ... -benz-slk-55-amg-2006.jpg
Looking around they are lacking sports cars but a few their cars are definately sporty, especially the AMG stuff.
http://equivocality.com/images ... -benz-slk-55-amg-2006.jpg
Looking around they are lacking sports cars but a few their cars are definately sporty, especially the AMG stuff.
It looks like Pumba out of the lion king.
Really?
Check this out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/powerlaps.shtml
The top two Mercs are "specials" so don't count IMO. Leaving the best performing model being the AMG 55. A car with 475 BHP, yet it's still beaten by true sports cars such as the Lotus Exige(s) and Evora and the Porsche Cayman despite all having at least 200 BHP less.
So yeah I guess it does come down to what you'd call a "sports" car.
For me a sports car excels in handling, is relatively light and doesn't rely on brute force, (i.e. power), to be quick.
Sporty and Sports Cars are not the same thing. AMG is an aftermarket tuner effectively (i.e. takes standard cars and tunes them up a bit - they don't become sports cars though, even if they are sportier).
GT stands for Grand Touring. TOURING. Driving long distances (possibly quickly
) with ease. Comfortable. Torquey. Quiet (when cruising). Pretty much the exact opposite of a sports car, which are generally harsher, noiser (well, less sound deadening), and tend to go for a narrower powerband and more revs.Just how I see it. Clearly other people have a much more inclusive, boring feeling of what makes a car into a sports car.
I know the difference between a sporty car and a sports car, im saying alot of their range are sporty.
Even if we use your definition of what a sports car is, who does the juding then? Everyone has different opinions of how a car handles etc. So that can't be the way we define a car as sports.
I don't think Merc has a true sports car as well, none of them handle like a true driver's car and worse still they ain't that fast either, the SLK is at best a performance luxury (and poser) car.
The meaing of GT has clearly changed over time.
I guess there is a big difference between your point of view and the car manufactures.
But of course you're the guy with the ultimate knowledge regarding cars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Carrera_GT
(btw. have a look at the facts sheet to the right)
Whilst Porsche call it a GT, it clearly isn't a GT car. Yes, the meaning of GT has changed - look at how many rubbish hatchbacks are called GT cars (with injection! Hence GTi). But that doesn't actually change what a Grand Tourer is. And that is what Mercedes make.
I've said it time and time again - this is MY opinion. I'm not forcing it on you, I'm just telling you what it is, and explaining why it is what it is. You can disagree and we can have a conversation, but there's no need for "But of course you're the guy with the ultimate knowledge regarding cars."
Not really. A good handling car is a good handling car, and a bad handling car is a bad handling car. A better driver might be able to drive around the problems of the poor handling car (e.g. using lots of power to kill the understeer of a poor RWD car), and a weak driver might not be able to get to the limits of the good handling car, or not get on with its nervousness (often sports cars are a bit flighty)...
Okay, so 99% of drivers find the Elise/Exige understeers massively. But that's mostly down to them (not enough power, too much steering lock, and trying to drive it like a FWD car), but a decent driver will find they are pretty damn well balanced. So is it a poor handling car or a decent handling car?
I've said it time and time again - this is MY opinion. I'm not forcing it on you, I'm just telling you what it is, and explaining why it is what it is. You can disagree and we can have a conversation, but there's no need for "But of course you're the guy with the ultimate knowledge regarding cars."
Not really. A good handling car is a good handling car, and a bad handling car is a bad handling car. A better driver might be able to drive around the problems of the poor handling car (e.g. using lots of power to kill the understeer of a poor RWD car), and a weak driver might not be able to get to the limits of the good handling car, or not get on with its nervousness (often sports cars are a bit flighty)...
Okay, so 99% of drivers find the Elise/Exige understeers massively. But that's mostly down to them (not enough power, too much steering lock, and trying to drive it like a FWD car), but a decent driver will find they are pretty damn well balanced. So is it a poor handling car or a decent handling car?
Well thats not what I meant.
Nowaday cars labeled GT are in general no Grand Tourer.
There are close to race cars actually.
In that sense Mercedes doesn't build GT cars.
Of course you will claim "but I says Grand Tourer" but you should look what the manufacturer tries to imply when using GT label.
Thats the meaning.
I have no problem with your opinion, but I don't like the way you express it.
Schumacher to Mercedes?
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