What exactly is a luxury car?
Movies, television and the Internet tend to simplify the concept of luxury as “quantity”. Big boats, cars, and houses filled with many items of all sorts, and everything decorated with gold and gems regardless of any sense of balance or purpose. Over the past few years, the ostentatious air of this concept gave it a negative connotation which has quickly rendered it démodé.
When it comes to luxury cars, that means you should leave long, boxy limousines to presidents — and as of now, not all of them. Showing wealth and power to others will always be important here, of course, but the industry has found a quite interesting way to do that: focusing on the occupants’ needs. The new fancy is to be own a car which caters to all your needs, as specific as they may be.
Now, why would that be interesting? Because it has encouraged automakers to rethink their high-end models. Proven recipes such as excessive size, sedan body, omnipresent chrome and leather, huge engines, and anesthetized ride have made room to their exact opposite: customization for each individual buyer. Mercedes-Benz has just taken an important step in that direction.
What is new in Mercedes-Benz custom?
After the separate work with G manufaktur and Designo, Mercedes-Benz has merged both divisions into a single one with broader scope. Named Mercedes Manufaktur, the new label is applicable to selected models, like the Mercedes-Benz CLS and S-Class LWB, the Mercedes-AMG GT, and the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, and offers exclusive possibilities to customize them further than ever.
There are several colour schemes for the cabin upholstery, from seats to the floor mats. Everything is hand-crafted with the finest nappa leather, perfect fit, precise double stitching, contrasting zones with diamond quilting, and a custom Mercedes badge depending on the car’s brand. As usual, there are also illuminated door sills, and LED projections of the corresponding logo on the four entryways.
Even more impressive is how Manufaktur deals with body colours. There are several finish options, like satin, silky matte, and high-gloss metallic, and historical hues such as graphite and olive which were popular in the 1980s, the shade of silicon grey first used on the iconic 300 SL “Gullwing”, and the vintage blue used on the Mercedes-Benz S 580 e AMG Line of this article’s pictures.
Why should I place a Mercedes custom order?
Mercedes-Benz design philosophy has become an expressive interpretation of the new concept of luxury mentioned some paragraphs above. Large space, safe cabin, cutting-edge technology, and a long equipment list are the bread-and-butter of the luxury market; what truly makes an automaker stand out in this market is how further it will go to understand its customers and cater to them.
Offering so many options allows people to express their culture, preferences and wishes, and doing it with the finest materials and highest quality expresses appreciation to all that. People generally use their car for hours day after day, whether alone or with others, so initiatives like that change it from a simple tool to an extension of who they are and which goals they want to achieve in life.
Nevertheless, none of that implies that customization strips the car of its own identity. Mercedes-Benz makes sure to honour the automaker’s history, through elements such as the historical body colours, and its present, by decorating each car’s cabin with its respective logo. The S-Class even adds another one on selected regions: the brand new logo created for the Manufaktur label.
One of the most likely results of that action is a boost on Mercedes-Benz customer loyalty. People will understand how committed to their wishes the automaker is, which can only make them more and more comfortable with buying from it. What do you think of the brand new Manufaktur label? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic with the comment button below!
