Driving a Mercedes-Benz in Korea is seen as one having a high standard of living. The luxury car brand is so popular in Korea that it accounts for over 28% of all imported cars sold in Korea. This makes putting them at the top position in the imported vehicle market in Korea, a position they have had for 5 years in a row. BMW comes in second at a little over 24%. The best-selling model in Korea is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan which outperformed BMW’s 5 Series. This is why Mercedes-Benz is planning to increase its investment in South Korea. They launched 9 new models, including 2 electric vehicles, new C-Class, CLS, G-Class, and new S-Class models.
Mercedes-Benz Launches EVs in Korea
Mercedes-Benz Korea rolled out 2 EVs in 2021. The first was the EQA and the second was the EQS. They set up the infrastructure for these EVs by building charging products and stations specialized for the EQ series. As the EV market grows in South Korea, Mercedes-Benz will look to position itself to gain a significant share of the market. However, Mercedes-Benz does not qualify for government EV subsidies in Korea because the subsidies are banned for expensive all-electric cars priced over $81,000.
“We will continue to drive innovation as the global automotive industry is going through an era of transformation and prepares itself for a future of sustainable mobility to open the era of sustainable future mobility,” said Thomas Klein, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea.
The two main launches also include the brand’s first SUV, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, and its top-class sedan, Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class will be celebrating its 100-year anniversary. They held a premiere event in Korea at the Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation. It has a retail price of $229,300.
Recently they also displayed the new Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC Virgil Abloh Edition honoring the late fashion icon Virgil Abloh for the first time in Korea. In addition, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the German carmaker’s Korean office, the company unveiled Mercedes-AMG G 63 K-edition 20. The limited edition of just 50 cars will bear the red and blue colors of Korea’s national flag.
Mercedes-Benz Kokrea Opens AMG Seoul
Mercedes-Benz Korea opened the AMG Seoul brand center in Seoul in 2021. The aim is to increase brand awareness and grow their fan base in Korea. AMG is Mercedes-Benz’s high-performance sub-brand. There are now 6 AMG brand centers across the world with Korea being one of them. Customers will be able to experience everything about AMG at the location which will be operated by Han Sung Motor (Mercedes-Benz’s official dealer). AMG Seoul will have a showroom, service center, exhibition area, and the AMG game zone. The 4 story building can hold up to 8 models. Therefore, customers will be able to see a diverse range in person and for test drives.
Mercedes Me App
Mercedes-Benz launched its Mercedes Me app in Korea in 2021. It provides loyalty benefits to customers by partnering with more than 50 partners. These partners include car washes, chauffeur companies, and golf courses.
Future plans for Mercedes-Benz Korea in 2023 will be to launch an online sales platform. This will allow customers to easily purchase cars online. Mercedes-Benz Korea appointed Mathias Vaitl as its new CEO, of the Korean unit.
“I am very excited to take the role of CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, the fourth-largest market and one of the most dynamic and trend-setting markets in the world. I will devote myself to listening and learning customers’ demands and work closely together with Korean colleagues and dealers to strengthen customer satisfaction and continue the success story,” said Mathias Vaitl.
In 2022, the Korean market was 4% of the German company’s total vehicle sales, following China with 37%, the U.S. with 15% and Germany with 11%. Korea is the No. 1 market globally for the E-Class mid-size sedan.
