Mercedes Manufaktur program expands as demand for car customisation grows
The luxury end of the car market is all about personalisation, so Merc’s cashing in by expanding its Manufaktur program
Mercedes has announced the expansion of its Manufaktur personalisation program, advancing its processes, introducing a cutting-edge new painting process, and creating a fresh Manufaktur studio where customers can personalise their new models in even more detail.
This is in response to growing interest in vehicle customisation, especially in the North American and Asian markets. Mercedes is hoping to attract more buyers to its upper-end models, and their higher transaction prices, by widening the scope for personalisation through wild paint, interior leather and trim options.
The Manufaktur program is currently run out of the same flagship factory that handles production of the S-Class limo, and will first be applied to the traditional luxury saloon model in 2025. In time, the scheme will expand to also cover certain high-end AMG-designed models like the SL and GT, with the G-Class being handled separately in its Austrian manufacturing hub.
New options will include a much wider variety of exterior paint and trim options, the former handled by a brand-new system that automates the painting process. This cuts a huge amount of man-hours for complex, multi-colour options. The new system, called PixelPaint, in effect works like a giant, three-dimensional inkjet printer, applying precise amounts of different paint to the surface without the need to manually mask up the body.
Mercedes is also expanding its range of interior leather and trim options, handled by a specialised team of seamstresses and wood workers, much as they would be in a Rolls-Royce or Bentley factory. While there’s some automation in the way these elements are applied, when it comes to parts as varied and delicate as interior trim, only the human touch will do.
The Manufaktur program’s manufacturing process has also been completely revamped, and is now able to complete up to nine commissions per day, supported by a set-up of automatically driven autonomous vehicles to cart different parts and materials throughout the factory.
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