My, how things have changed for Mercedes-Benz->ke187.
It wasn't that long ago when Mercedes was fretting about the S-Class' lagging sales in the face of strong competition from the BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8. So Merc sought an answer, and like a self-fulfilling premonition, it found a solution in the next-generation S-Class.
With a new flagship model in its fleet, customers can't seem to have enough of the new S-Class, so much so that the German automaker announced that its ramping up production of its new luxury->ke505 ride.
The law of supply and demand at its finest, folks.
With demand that its predecessor never received in its final days, the new S-Class has compelled Mercedes to add an extra 74 minutes a day on its employees' schedule, beginning in 2014 at the Sindelfingen assembly plant in Germany where the luxury sedan->ke142 is built. And this extended time comes after Mercedes already increased work days by 30 minutes this year on top of adding four shifts on Saturdays.
Such is the consequence of a strong 2013 in which the company reported an 11-percent increase in sales from January to November compared to the same time a year ago. In fact, the company has sold 1.32 million units in the first 11 months of the year, almost the same number it managed to sell for the entirety of 2012.
One reason for that is the surprising popularity of the S-Class, a car that has reinvigorated Mercedes' attempts to rule the luxury car market.
So far so good, Mercedes. Now all you have to do is retain that momentum as 2014 rolls around.
Click past the jump to read about the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class was a vindication of sorts for Mercedes, who saw its predecessor struggle through mediocre sales in the face of stiff competition.
But the new model is a doozy and well-deserving of its place among the finest luxury cars in the market today. It comes with the same design language we have seen in all the recently launched Mercedes models, highlighted by the sharper lines, a sportier front fascia, a larger grille, a nice redesigned rear end.
Best of all, the new S-Class has a monster under its hood in the form of a 4.7-liter, V-8 engine that produces 456 horsepower and 517 pound-feet of torque, good enough to hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.