Finance
Mercedes keeps 'value over volume' approach in tough Chinese market
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 7, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 7, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Mercedes-Benz maintains its premium strategy in China, focusing on the new electric GLC SUV to regain market share amidst a pricing war.
By Christoph Steitz and Christine Uyanik
MUNICH (Reuters) -German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz is sticking with its premium strategy in its main market China, where a brutal pricing war has cost the group market share as local customers increasingly switch to cheaper domestic models.
CEO Ola Kaellenius, speaking to Reuters ahead of the IAA auto show in Munich, said the new electric GLC SUV - which Mercedes-Benz unveiled on Sunday - would be instrumental in recovering lost ground in the world's largest auto market.
"This is going to hit the nail on the head in terms of what Chinese Mercedes customers are looking for," Kaellenius said.
"And yes, we charge a little bit more. But GLC fans can rest assured ... from a pricing point of view, if you're currently a GLC customer, you will also feel at home with this new electric GLC."
Like Porsche, Mercedes-Benz has been protecting margins at the expense of market share in China, where it suffered a 19% decline in vehicle sales to 140,400 in the second quarter of 2025.
Kaellenius said the company would not change its strategy in China and would maintain its premium approach.
Mercedes-Benz and its European peers are currently awaiting a lowering of U.S. auto import tariffs to 15% from 27.5%, something Washington has pledged as part of the European Union's move to eliminate tariffs on most U.S. goods.
"The European Commission and their trade team are working with the American administration on this," Kaellenius said, adding he hoped that the U.S. administration would soon sign an executive order to get the tariffs down.
Kaellenius did not quantify the financial impact tariffs have had so far on the group's results but said "we're doing what we can to mitigate it".
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz and Christine Uyanik; Additional reporting by Ayhan; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Mercedes-Benz is sticking with its premium strategy in China, prioritizing value over volume despite a challenging market.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new electric GLC SUV, which CEO Ola Kaellenius believes will help recover lost market share.
Mercedes-Benz experienced a 19% decline in vehicle sales in China, totaling 140,400 units in the second quarter of 2025.
The U.S. auto import tariffs are currently at 27.5%, with hopes to lower them to 15% as part of trade negotiations.
While Kaellenius did not quantify the financial impact of tariffs, he mentioned that the company is taking steps to mitigate their effects.
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