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On the same day of the Media Day of Guangzhou Auto Show, an auto media man posted a video on a short video platform and was blocked by staff when he visited the Mercedes-Benz booth to comment on Mercedes-Benz models. From another perspective, it angrily denounced Mercedes-Benz in front of the Mercedes-Benz booth, saying, "Mercedes-Benz has no bottom line. The 300000 yuan Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been replaced with a 1.5T engine. What has the car brand become in a century?"

In terms of timeline, the 2018 Mercedes-Benz C-Class mainly promoted 1.6T and 2.0T engines, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class added 1.5T engines, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 1.6T version was cancelled, to the 2021 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has all the main 1.5T engines, while the higher-equipped C300 series only retained the C300L sports version. At this year's Chengdu Auto Show, the new generation of C-Class officially launched four new models, of which the C200L price range is 325200 yuan, the C260L price is 35.12-369200 yuan, and the C300 series has been cancelled. In terms of power, the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class provides 1.5T and 1.5T+48V light hybrid powertrain, with maximum power of 125kw and 150kw respectively, peak torque of 250N ·m and 300N ·m, transmission system matching 9-speed manual integrated transmission.

According to the current new car propulsion strategy of Mercedes-Benz in the Chinese market, the 1.3T engine will be fully popularized to the compact level in the future, including A-class, GLA, GLB and so on, while 1.5T engine and 1.5T+48V light mixing system will be popularized to medium or even large-scale models, and there will be fewer and fewer 2.0T models to choose from. Although small displacement is the current trend of engine technology improvement, Mercedes-Benz, as a first-tier luxury brand, will comprehensively promote small displacement, which will widen the gap between consumers' understanding of the brand and the product itself to a certain extent. This move is not conducive to brand communication, and it is not surprising that there are public complaints on the Internet.

As competitors of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4L are all equipped with 2.0T engines. Currently on sale, the BMW three-Series price range is 29.39-405900 yuan, power is equipped with 2.0T engine + 8-speed manual transmission, maximum power 115kw and 135kw, peak torque 250N m and 300N m. The Audi A4L currently sells in the range of 30.58-396800 yuan, with a power matching 2.0T engine + 7-gear double clutch transmission, maximum power 110kw and 140kw, peak torque 270N m and 320N m. In terms of parameters, although the Mercedes-Benz C-class matches the 1.5T engine, its power and torque are better than those of the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4L. However, as a first-tier luxury brand, the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4L both match 2.0T engines, and the 1.5T Mercedes-Benz C-Class engine alone is more or less uncomfortable.

Netizens also gave different views on the behavior of the media. One netizen said, "for 1.5t, there are still so many buyers, indicating that the target population of this car does not need an engine. Wouldn't it be better to put the limited cost on other more concerned content?" Those who are concerned about the engine can buy a BMW next door, "Mercedes-Benz less than 500000 is simply buying a bid", "more than 300,000 after a 70% discount, 1.5T is a gift", "even a 0.5t Mercedes-Benz has nothing to do with me. First, it didn't force me to buy it. Second, I don't have the money to buy it."

In fact, netizens are right, this is market behavior, do not accept do not buy or choose other brands, since the purchase shows that consumers are more concerned about the brand effect, weakening the strict requirements of the power system. Of course, it may be heard from the market that Beijing Mercedes-Benz has already declared 2.0T GLA and GLB in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, while the new E-Class, which went on sale in March this year, also launched a 2.0T turbocharged engine on the basis of 1.5T+48V. Of course, the adjustment of the configuration of the new car has also brought about a rise in the price of the car. Therefore, if 2.0T engines are added to GLA and GLB in the future, their prices will also be increased.

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