Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Moves Forward With A Comprehensive Strategy
In 2021, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is moving forward with a comprehensive strategy to enhance its market position. Expecting a challenging year, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is looking to build a strong momentum by offering desirable and innovative products, leveraging on its strength as a luxury brand, and growing local economic value.
It will also reinforce its local digital footprint with a virtual showroom that allows customers to browse their dream cars online. Now available for both new and Mercedes-Benz Certified pre-owned cars, you can use this feature to instantly search for stock availability, calculate financing options and directly request a quote from your preferred dealer.
“2020 placed great demands on us as a society. Despite the challenges, the situation also presented us with an opportunity to be more resilient and agile in this new technology-led environment. While the safety and of our customers is our top priority, we explore innovative ways to optimize our offerings. The virtual showroom is an example of our pursuit in continuous digitalisation effort to bring the best experiences for our customers,” said Dr Claus Weidner, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia.
Michael Jopp, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, added, “We want to assure our new and existing customers that we are with them throughout their ownership. We have accelerated most of our efforts to combine physical and digital touchpoints for a seamless customer journey. From dealerships with luxurious brand presence to digital launches and virtual showroom– it is all now easily accessible from anywhere. This new and improved presence is meant to simplify processes and enhance our brand experience by leveraging data and technology in this era.”
New Virtual Showroom
The new Mercedes-Benz virtual showroom serves as an avenue to engage with current & future customers who can browse and begin their order process from the comfort of their homes. Interested customers will be informed on stock availability at the selected dealership within the search criteria.
Upon selecting a model, you can ask to “Request for Quote” or “Contact Me”, and a quote will be generated for the specific vehicle along with a dedicated sales agent assigned. The Financial Services Widget also provides you with a monthly finance quote based on the actual car price. These investments collectively elevate the brand presence online, offering customers greater comfort and convenience, and signifying a new era of luxury experience.
To check out the virtual showroom, visit www.mercedes-benz.com.my/virtual-showroom.
The Mercedes Of Service: One-Stop Solution For Customers
Despite the pandemic, Customer Services saw a throughput of over 140,000 vehicles in 2020. This achievement was supported by various service differentiation offerings including extended service and warranty grace period, Express Service, Drop&Go, Door-to-Door, Star Mobile, as well as the implementation of Mercedes-Benz Star Shield Programme. The latter covers comprehensive safety measures across dealerships nationwide.
Other key highlights include the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz Original Tyre Programme, which makes its dealer network now a one-stop service provider and the implementation of various contactless convenience include the Mercedes me Adapter and Online Appointment booking.
Key Highlights Of 2020
Despite the major challenges posed by the pandemic, Mercedes-Benz had delivered more than two million cars globally for the fifth consecutive year. Through advanced digitisation in sales and service, Mercedes-Benz was able to respond to the rapidly changing situation.
As the leader in the premium luxury segment, Mercedes-Benz continues to redefine mobility with a holistic brand showcase of future mobility, innovative technology and a stellar product line-up to meet customer’s preferences.
In 2020, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia hosted its first-ever digital car launch for the latest Mercedes-AMG compact cars i.e. the all-new A 35 hatchback, A 45 S and the CLA 45 S.
The company also hosted its first regional digital premiere of an all-new compact SUV model, the Mercedes Benz GLB for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, which is locally available in three variants i.e. GLB 200 Progressive Line, GLB 250 4MATIC AMG Line and Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4MATIC. The year ended with another virtual launch of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA in the form of GLA 200 Progressive Line and GLA 250 AMG Line.
The brand’s local CKD production line-up still stands at 13 variants from five model lines: C-Class, E-Class and S-Class sedans, GLC and GLC Coupe SUVs, as well as two Mercedes-AMG models – the C 43 and the GLC 43 Coupe. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia aims to expand its CKD footprint with plans to localise additional models in the compact car and SUV segment in 2021.
In its continuous pursuit of the Best Customer Experience initiative, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia also unveiled newly-renovated luxury dealerships in Alor Setar and Kuala Lumpur, which feature the first-of-its-kind Mercedes-Benz Lifestyle Accessories and Collection Boutique. This saw the transformation of a conventional point-of-sale to an immersive point-of-experience to encounter the Mercedes-Benz brand journey.
Talent Programme
The year 2020 also saw the graduation of an additional 54 apprentices from the Advance Modern Apprenticeship Programme who became globally certified technicians. Trained at the state-of-the-art & purpose-built Training Academy in Klang Valley, this group will join over 940 graduates who have benefitted from one of the most sought-after engineering training programmes in Malaysia.
The Advanced Modern Apprenticeship provides the best-in-class training module in developing the best automotive talents. It is a three-year training programme with full scholarship under the National Dual Training System (NDTS) in collaboration with the Department of Skills Development (JPK), Ministry of Human Resources.
During the course, students learn the latest technical knowledge and diagnostic skills in line with the advanced technologies of Mercedes-Benz products. Upon completion, students will receive three certifications i.e. Mercedes-Benz Automotive Mechatronic Training Certificate, Mercedes-Benz Qualified Maintenance Technician Certificate, and National Dual Training System Certificate, equivalent to the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 3 (SKM 3), and guaranteed with a four-year employment.
The Advance Modern Apprenticeship programme went digital in 2020 with a new programme for Qualified Body & Paint Specialist.
As a prerequisite to acceptance into the training programme, interested candidates have to undergo a strict selection process which involves a pre-enrolment assessment examination by Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s parent company. Candidates then have to attend a face-to-face interview by the Recruitment Panel which gives the final approval to candidates who qualify to enrol in the training programme.
For more information on the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Programme, visit https://www.mercedes-benz.com.my/apprenticeship
Convenient Ownership Journeys With Mercedes-Benz Financial
Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia (MBSM) continues to offer innovative solutions to provide customers with the peace of mind when purchasing a Mercedes-Benz. Its specialty in providing a range of comprehensive and innovative finance and insurance solutions for Mercedes-Benz customers has resulted in a servicing portfolio of RM2.27 billion. This value represents more than 50% of all Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold by authorised dealers in Malaysia. It also recorded new contracts worth over RM717 million and introduced new financing and insurance solutions i.e. the Star Protect and Star Protect Plus programme.
Leading The Way Forward
As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz intends to build the world’s most desirable cars. The company aims to unlock the full potential of its unique sub-brands i.e. AMG, Maybach, G-Class, and leverage on its strength as a luxury brand to grow economic value and enhance the mix and positioning of its product portfolio.
Moving forward, the brand will see a renewed focus on luxury, making it an integral part of its product, customer interactions and digital technology.
Sharing his views, Dr Weidner said, “We are cautiously optimistic about the auto industry’s recovery in 2021. Geared with our comprehensive customer-centric strategy, we are confident it will be an interesting journey as we innovate new ways we communicate and conduct businesses in the future together with our partners.”
