Luxury Unfiltered: Why halo strategies from legacy brands need attention

February 4, 2026

Daniel Langer is the founder and CEO of consulting firm Équité

By Daniel Langer

The launch of a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class has historically been the moment the automotive world holds its breath.

It was the North Star. It defined what was possible in engineering, comfort and status.

The latest iteration, however, has elicited a different reaction.

Design language of the last decade

Instead of awe, there is confusion. Instead of desire, there is frustration.

Consumer feedback and analyst reports regarding the new flagship are alarming. The complaints are not about the engines or the build quality.

They are about the experience. The cabin is no longer a sanctuary of intuitive command.

It is a nightclub of distracting screens and overwhelming interfaces. Drivers report fighting with the car to perform simple tasks.

The consensus is clear. The technology is not serving the user – it is dominating them.

This disconnect is symptomatic of a much deeper issue at Stuttgart. The recent exit of chief design officer Gorden Wagener marks the end of an era, yet it also exposes the significant flaws of the design philosophy that defined it.

For years, the strategy relied on sensual purity in words but delivered aesthetic confusion in practice. Many analysts now argue that the design language of the last decade(s) failed to create lasting equity.

Mercedes-Benz desperately chased trends rather than setting them confidently. What is left of the brand today?

The most critical asset for any luxury house is the clarity of its story. Mercedes-Benz currently lacks one.

Over the last years the leadership has spoken aggressively about a pivot to iconic luxury. They promised a portfolio of high-margin, desirable dream cars that touch the hearts of clients.

But where are they? A look at the product reality reveals a stark gap between promise and execution.

The SL was once the undisputed king of the roadsters. It was the car you bought when you had nothing left to prove.

Years of mismanagement and confused positioning have turned it into a caricature of its former self. It haunts the bottom of sales charts, unsure if it is a sports car or a cruiser.

History repeats itself with the brand's halo efforts. When Mercedes brought back the Gullwing with the SLS a few years ago, the industry anticipated a revival of the 300SL's glory.

Instead, it was a commercial disappointment that failed to satisfy any specific market niche. It was a product looking for a customer.

EV legacy

The electric transition has been equally bruising. The EQ series was meant to bridge the gap to the future.

Instead, the jelly-bean design language was universally rejected by the market. Sales flopped.

The prestige did not transfer. I recall a recent drive in the $200,000+ Maybach EQS 680.

Not only was I underwhelmed by the car and the quality of materials, but the driver told me that the car frequently breaks down. Those who want to resell the car a year later often find that they lose 50 percent or more of the value.

This does not feel iconic, but signals luxury in ambition only. The new S-Class seems to double down on these errors.

The overkill of illuminated stars on the grille and interior does not signal prestige. It signals insecurity.

Confusing luxury with logos is a cardinal sin in high-end brand management. A logo is a signature.

It is not the content of the letter. When you have to light up your badge a hundred times to remind the owner what they are driving, the car has already failed to communicate its worth.

Arguably, the last truly iconic car in the current portfolio is the G-Wagon. Launched in 1979 as a utilitarian tool originally developed strictly for military use, it became an accidental luxury icon precisely because it was uncompromised.

It was mechanical, visceral and authentic. Yet, the recent attempt to electrify this legend with the G 580 has turned into a strategic disaster.

Reports indicate that dealers are struggling to move units, with the electric variant collecting dust while combustion models continue to command waiting lists.

Mercedes-Benz seemingly did not understand who buys this car or why. The G-Wagon client is not looking for silence or efficiency.

They are buying the vibration, the mechanical clunk of the door and the raw auditory feedback of an engine that asserts dominance.

By removing the sensory friction and replacing it with synthetic sounds and batteries, the brand stripped away the car’s very soul. They solved a problem the customer never had.

Since then, for the last 47 years, Mercedes did not manage to launch even one vehicle that became as iconic and desirable as their 1950, 1960 and 1970 cars. One missed opportunity after the next.

Shining star
Today, as the new S-Class is revealed, Mercedes-Benz is at a critical juncture.

The strategy of aggressive pricing and iconic rhetoric cannot hide the lack of clarity in its brand story and the lack of substance and uniqueness in its portfolio.

Luxury requires more than massive screens, an overkill of illuminated stars and an ambient light show. It requires a distinct point of view.

The brand must stop looking at its competitors and start looking in the mirror. It needs to rediscover what a Mercedes feels like when the screens are turned off.

If the star is to shine again, it must be earned through clarity in luxury strategy, bold and distinct engineering and presence, not through LED bulbs.

Luxury Unfiltered is a weekly column by Daniel Langer. He is the CEO of Équité, a global luxury strategy and creative brand activation firm, where he is the advisor to some of the most iconic luxury brands. He is recognized as a global top-five luxury key opinion leader. He serves as the executive professor of luxury strategy and pricing at Pepperdine University in Malibu and as a professor of luxury at New York University, New York. Dr. Langer has authored best-selling books on luxury management in English and Chinese and is a respected global keynote speaker.

Dr. Langer conducts masterclass management training on various luxury topics around the world. As a luxury expert featured on Bloomberg TV, Financial Times, The New York Times, Forbes, The Economist and others, Mr. Langer holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in luxury management and has received education from Harvard Business School. Follow him on LinkedIn and Instagram, and listen to his Future of Luxury Podcast.

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Luxury Unfiltered: Why halo strategies from legacy brands need attention

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