Legacy and heritage leads the race

As the inventor of automobile, Mercedes-Benz has a long heritage. Every Mercedes-Benz model is equipped with the most advanced technology while also offering a strong lineup of products in Hong Kong and Macau ranging from compact cars, to luxury saloons and sports cars to people carriers, and even big trucks. This illustrates their capability to satisfy any customer need.

An example of the brand’s success in Asia would be the A-Class’ popularity in the compact car segment. When the brand launched the redesigned A-Class in 2012, they opened up a new chapter in the compact segment with emotive design, high quality interior, powerful and efficient engines, and a best-in-class drag coefficient. It also underlined a new safety standard in the compact segment and customers in Hong Kong have accepted the A-Class as a compact car with young and dynamic image since then.

In 2015, Mercedes-Benz has successfully created a new brand communication platform, the Mercedes me Store in Hong Kong. Mercedes me is the personalised access to the world of Mercedes-Benz. It bundles innovative and customer-focused services, products and lifestyle offerings from Mercedes-Benz and its cooperation partners that go beyond the ‘car’ as a product. It is also a new sub-brand that is brought to life by the Mercedes me Stores such as the one in Hong Kong which features interactive brand and product experiences in a relaxed atmosphere. Hong Kong is also one of the first locations with a Mercedes me Store around the world. Since Hong Kong is a bustling urban metropolis and a leader of trends in much of Asia, it’s a natural location for a Mercedes me Store.

A sophisticated market
We spoke to Andreas Binder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Limited, and he agrees. “Hong Kong customers are very sophisticated. They demand high quality products and services and they can express their needs very well. We work hard to introduce the latest models with advanced technologies in a short period of time after the world premieres and with equipment levels suitable for Hong Kong.”

This year has been a triumphant year for the luxury brand. With the launch of new models such as the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, GLE and GLC, they have a very good momentum in the luxury vehicle segment in both Hong Kong and Macau. At the same time, the E-Class and C-Class remain very popular, and the S-Class is the undisputed segment leader, too. In addition, as the successor of the M-Class, the new GLE combines superior ride quality and the versatility and robustness typical for SUVs - it has all the ingredients to continue the success story. With the launch of the GLE Coupé, Mercedes-Benz is entering a new segment of the market which the brand didn’t access before. With the best of both worlds, a sports coupé and a SUV, the GLE Coupé is very well-accepted by the markets. There are customers who are looking for a sports coupé with off-road capability in the market and the GLE Coupé is their best choice.

From compact vehicles to coupés with SUV capabilities, it’s the wide range of products available that Mercedes-Benz uses to its advantage. As Binder points out “We have different competitors in different segments. However, we do have a wide model range which many other brands don’t have and I think that’s one of our advantages. Furthermore, with the more than 60 year of experience we have in Hong Kong, we can cater our services and products to market needs.”

Mercedes-Benz is operating in the premium car market and being the leader of that segment the brand is facing strong competition from many manufacturers. It is challenging to keep as competitive advantage in the business, but the brand will remain as leader with its wide product portfolio, innovations and high quality customer service.