Hey, both Porsche and Ferrari make enough clothing to outfit one’s whole family, so why shouldn’t Mercedes-Benz launch a men’s cologne?  The luxury automaker is debuting a fragrance at the beginning of 2012 which will combine woodsy and floral notes. Appropriate for a car manufacturer expanding its lifestyle game — Mercedes already offers some logo-studded clothing and a wide range of accessories — the cologne will be self-titled.

Will the eau de toilette and attendant grooming products be popular?  (They’ll be sold at as-yet unnamed specialty retail stores, but further details on their availability have yet to be released).  As exhibited by its luxury brethren (even Maserati sells branded clothes, accessories, and leather goods) offering a range of products in association with an expensive, exclusive car-maker can be a highly successful marketing ploy.   The audience is there — if men are willing to wear their favorite car logos on polo shirts and baseball caps, why not sport a branded fragrance, too?

We imagine that as long as the cologne form of Mercedes-Benz actually smells good, a women’s fragrance can’t possibly be far behind.  Now, will the scent be followed by more auto-themed fragrances?  With luxury car-makers steeped in lifestyle offerings, Mercedes might just be the first of many making an entrance at the perfume counter.