[WalterBright]

The Mercedes wagons from the 60s were not luxury cars. They were used as taxis in Europe.

[distances]

Mercedes is still very common as a taxi in Europe. Taxis in general are often much nicer and more expensive cars than what people buy privately.

[anjel]

The iconic Checker cab Company took the opposite marketing approach, selling overly sturdy sedans to private owners. They died on that hill.

[barrkel]

Regulated taxis across most of Europe are generally upmarket cars. Things like luggage space have regulated minimums that prevent using smaller cars.

[WalterBright]

Upmarket doesn't mean "wealthy and powerful". Have you ever seen a 180D?

[barrkel]

We seem to be talking at cross-purposes.

You seemed to use the fact that a car was used as a taxi in Europe as evidence that the car is not luxurious.

My point is that cars used as taxis in Europe are often from upmarket segments, so it's not good evidence that a car is not luxurious (relatively - we're talking MB/BMW class here).

This does not mean I'm saying that a specific Mercedes from the 1960s was or was not luxurious. I find it hard to imagine any car from the 1960s would be luxurious by modern standards, my experience of older cars is they were very much metal tins on wheels.

[WalterBright]

Let me put it another way. If you want to build a giant company, selling only to the wealthy and powerful isn't going to do it. You're going to have to sell deep into the middle class. Which is what Mercedes-Benz did.

[barrkel]

Well sure, and funnily enough the top hits for Merc 180d is the modern A series, very much not luxury.