Despite the cross-cultural benefits Dr. Z ballyhooed, Zetsche said last week that Mercedes won’t share the mechanical underpinnings of its models with its down-market sibling. That’s a cost-savings strategy Toyota uses with Lexus, which rides on a common Camry chassis, but is still America’s No. 1 luxury line. With Mercedes making record profits, Zetsche couldn’t push the German side of the company to offer up more of its engineering (and prestige). “It doesn’t seem like the DaimlerChrysler merger has lived up to its promise,” says Edmunds.com auto analyst Jeremy Anwyl. After nine years, Dr. Z seems to have decided that the best treatment might be to amputate.
