Mercedes-Benz is in the midst of a major ramp up in its luxury vehicle operations. The company has invested €10 million ($10.57 million USD) into its Manufaktur customization business this year, expanding ordering possibilities. The individualization program is for a growing range of select Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach models.
Clients of the personalization option will now be able to experience Manufaktur at the Manufaktur Studio, a new operational center that gives clients a behind-the-scenes peek at their vehicle's finishing process.
This is on top of new Maybach Atelier locations in Shanghai (opened in 2022) and New York City (coming soon), with additional locations planned to be opened through 2030. Maybach is the company's ultimate brand expression in luxury vehicles.
"Manufaktur gives our customers the opportunity to actually create their own fantastic and very individualized vehicle. Our customers, they do not only buy a car, actually. They buy an experience. And after all, this is what you expect if you buy such a truly something special," Michael Schiebe, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH and Head of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Mercedes Maybach divisions told Newsweek at the opening of the Studio.
"When you buy a special timepiece you can often marvel at the watchmaker building it. With a new Manufaktur studio here, we now offer a customized experience where you can get really close with our experts" he said.
At the company's Factory 56 plant in Sindelfingen, Germany, speciality skilled workers finish Manufaktur client vehicles in the areas of textile finishing, interior fittings, fabrication, embroidery and personalized paintwork, among other operations. This is work that Mercedes has been doing for a hundred years, stretching back to the company's coachbuilding operations at the dawn of the automobile era.
"We have more than 120 years of experience when it comes to fulfilling customer wishes and exceeding, of course, our customers' dreams," Schiebe said.
The Sindelfingen site has long been known as the home of Mercedes craftsmanship and this investment signals a commitment to continue that in the future, with a heaping helping of modern technology to assist the skilled workers with their trades.
Today, more than 90 percent of G-Class sales feature at least one Manufaktur customization. Germany, the U.S. and China are the largest Manufaktur markets with Japan, the Middle East and Eastern Europe markets expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
The company recently created a new Popemobile from the current generation G-Class.
The old school approach to customized luxury is combined with modern technology at various stages throughout the Manufaktur process. The company has changed the traditional workstation approach to its process by digitizing individual work steps and optimizing them with artificial intelligence. This has sped up Manufaktur operations and is ensuring a top-level quality in the production process.
While Mercedes' Manufaktur operations are not to the level of Rolls-Royce's bespoke program, they are able to indulge some extravagant client asks. The Manufaktur Atelier is tucked into a tiny corner of the company's Manufaktur site, with engineers and designers working hand-in-hand to develop vehicles based on specialty client asks, like a large sunroof for a custom GLS.
There is one hard and fast rule for customization, Paloma Cury, senior manager of individualization at Mercedes-Benz, told Newsweek. The company will not compromise on safety, standards and principles.
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