Queer 4 Cars Celebrates the Automotive Lifestyle.

With consumers increasingly buying by a click on the screen of a smartphone, tablet, or computer, the lure of the annual auto show is no longer enough to return for the big dollar investments that automakers put out. More focus is being placed on social media and direct consumer experience events and interactive marketing with wide-ranging appeal and contact. Have you noticed when you respond to an automotive marketing outreach, a dealer almost immediately contacts you? Getting consumers interested in products and putting them in touch with dealers as soon as possible has become the business model of choice.

Daimler and Mercedes-Benz have rethought the auto show model, along with other manufacturers who are also starting to step away from even the big shows like Detroit. At this year’s New York International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz had a toned-down presence in comparison to years past. With plenty of vehicles on display, the pomp and circumstance were noticeably reduced. In speaking to MBUSA’s public relations department, the Washington, D.C. market continues to be a very important one for the brand, and the region’s buying power is an important one. It is expected they will return to the auto show, just not in the format we have seen in the past.

	Dietmar Exler _ President and CEO of MBUSA and NAFTA __ Photo Credit_ William West Hopper

Models and both EV and ICE Powertrains

Do not think for a moment that Mercedes-Benz will retreat from high-performance vehicles. These days high horsepower internal combustion powered vehicles bring with them high profit. Thus, AMG and Maybach vehicles will still be a major market focus. This year alone we have already seen a new version of the G-Wagen for 2019, both a G-550 and a G-63AMG, as well as a lineup of E and C Class vehicles including the AMG E53 and C43 and 63. The AMG GT 63 S and others continue to show the commitment to daily driving vehicles as well as ones you will want to drive just for the enjoyment of the road.

MBUSA recently relocated from New Jersey to the suburban Atlanta, Georgia. Many speculated this was done to reduce costs and take advantage of tax incentives. While this was no doubt a factor, being closer to the American factory in Alabama, and recently opened Sprinter van production facility in South Carolina also had much to do with the decision. Another factor is their focus on research and development here in the USA – not only in California but now in Georgia with a soon-to-open Lab1886 location.

MBUSA is now housed in a steel and glass 200,000 square-foot building, located on a 12-acre campus. Housing more than 1,000 employees and is designed to be sustainable and energy-efficient. MBUSA has implemented initiatives as part of their commitment to sustainability, bike racks, twenty EV Charging stations as well as dedicated MARTA shuttle to help reduce traffic impact in an area that is already heavily congested.

Daimler will open the fourth Lab1886 in Atlanta this summer joining three existing locations in Beijing, Berlin, and Stuttgart. MBUSA feels that with Atlanta’s excellent colleges and universities offering highly skilled and motivated graduates, and that more and more innovative technology and digital companies make their home in Atlanta, it is a perfect match for Mercedes-Benz’s own incubator.

Mercedes-Benz is actively adapting to an ever-changing transportation market. Be it selling C-Classes, AMG’s, Sprinter and Metris vans, or with the growth Daimler’s Car2Go car-sharing platform that offers Smart and Mercedes-Benz vehicles on demand. Providing users with a car only and exactly when they need one. Expect to see Mercedes-Benz continue to work beyond traditional transportation.

Past MBCA|GWS President,

MBCA Eastern Regional Director,

MBCA National Director and National Treasurer