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How Old is Everyone?

28K views 73 replies 48 participants last post by  qiudewi 
#1 ·
Only reason i ask is because I'm curious if Mercedes is meeting their demographic target. It was stated the CLA was an attempt to make the company younger, the millennial demographic was singled out specifically.

I'm curious first of all because I work in advertising and watching how planning and targeting relates to real word results is kind of my job ;)

I do have a feeling that at the end of the day we will see the CLA in more boomer hands than millennials... 77 million consumers who have concentrated 75% of americas wealth vs 1/3rd millennials who live at home, 62% are employed, 30% of that are part time employees...

So, how old are you? 33 here....
 
#2 ·
I'm 30, so I'm in their target range. But what sucks for Mercedes is if they didn't create this car they could've sold me a C63 so they lost about 10-15k on this millenial. Though I'm not completely sure the CLA45 is targeted towards any age group like the regular CLAs are.

Also, in Europe this is not as compact of a car as it is in the states, so this car would look more like a high end car that millenials can upgrade to. Though maybe not in Germany when the taxis are C and E-classes.
 
#3 ·
60.5 is my age, so I'm not the targeted market. But, after 2 previous and 1 current Benz (SLK), I love the brand and believe the CLA strikes a great balance between a sporty 2-seater and the occasional need to carry four people. Plus, I love Mercedes' innovations. Check out the crash-test video attached. Safety is extremely important to me...

 
#4 ·
49 here so I'm sure I'm out of their target demographic.
 
#6 ·
It's funny to hear that they market some of their cars, the CLA being one of them, to young people. I guess they might have mentioned the young at heart in fine print somewhere.
Most MB owners turn out to not be as young as MB makes it out to be before the stats.
 
#11 ·
46 y.o. so I may be throwing off the survey objective.
 
#16 ·
Just turned 50.
 
#18 ·
Does everyone who has responded owns a CLA or have one on order?
 
#25 · (Edited)
39 and i had a Impreza WRX STI... Although my age isn't exactly their target, my taste in cars is definitely on-target. This is a "grown up" version of the Lancer or Impreza. I have a CLA45 on order...

Also, I grew up driving MB's... my parents had a 300D turbodiesel, 560SEL, 560SL in the 80s/90s -- so I guess I'm going back to my roots.
 
#27 ·
Where the heck are you young kids getting the money to buy this car? At 28 I was busy paying a mortgage, property tax, and other home ownership related expenses. A MB wasn't even on the radar.
 
#28 ·
I'm not sure if I qualify as one of those young kids but the AMG is only my second car so I've not spent that much money in the past. Plus I have a good income (I guess that one's a bit obvious :p). I had always originally planned on buying a C63 at around this time. But the CLA45 fulfills a bit more of the brain and doesn't leave the heart wanting too much.

Though a lease does artificially reduce the price for a lot of people.
 
#33 ·
So now I wonder how many here don't have a family or mortgage to support (AKA living at home). I also make some pretty decent scratch (so I think) and have been in the six figures bracket for about 10 years and still live in the same house I bought when I was 28 and it's only now that I feel financially comfortable to spring for an entry level Mercedes Benz. Have I been too conservative? Am I paying too much for non-essentials? Am I saving too much for retirement? Hmmm....
 
#34 ·
I'm with you on this - I don't understand it either. If these young guy's are able to do it, then BRAVO and my hat's off to them, but I truly hope that they are building up their net-worth as well. Having a kick *** car this young is great and we all dream about it, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the smartest thing to do with your money.

I've been 6 figures for about 7 years now and in the lower 1% bracket the past 4 years. I'm 36 and I have built my net-worth to 7 figures and it's just recently that I am feeling comfortable enough to make into an entry MB. Granted I did just quit my high-paying/high-stress/no-time-for-family job for lesser paying job that I am way over-qualified for, but now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor and live semi-retired to enjoy my time with my family and a nice car. Maybe I'm being too conservative as well?
 
#35 ·
well that was the whole point. On board people who could never afford a mercedes before, so yea that figure of 75% new to brand seems to hold up well enough.

The thing I'm most curious about is how many of the 75% first time benzers will be last time benzers with the CLA. Mercedes expects to on board and then expects them to grow upwards with the brand...
 
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