Mercedes to hog Sydney show limelight

BMW and Audi will be notable absentees from the 2012 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney this October, but that won’t stop Mercedes-Benz putting on its biggest ever AIMS exhibit this year.

For the first time, Mercedes will stage a stand-alone AMG exhibition at AIMS, where it will reveal several vehicles not yet seen in Australia, potentially including limited-edition versions of AMG’s C63, SLK55 and SLS Roadster.

Combined with Mercedes’ own 888 square-metre stand, at which the new A-Class and CLS Shooting Brake will make their Australian debuts, the 377 square-metre AMG stage will bring the German maker’s AIMS floor space allocation to a total of 1265 square metres – more than any other full-line importer and bigger than all but Holden and Toyota.

Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Managing Director Horst von Sanden would not reveal his company’s plans for AIMS, but indicated Mercedes would continue its tradition of revealing vehicles that are unique to Australia.

“People go to a motor show to get a certain wow factor,” he said. “As we have made a commitment to invest a substantial amount of money in motor shows – because we believe in their value as a brand presentation – we always try to show something that is a little bit more than what you find in a showroom.

“And that is locally driven, not driven by AMG in Affalterbach. That is us, our product management team, developing ideas. Then we check with Affalterbach whether they are able and prepared to build it for us.”

These 'ideas' are likely to manifest themselves in a handful of hard-charging AMG vehicles - some with unique paint work, others with more performance modifications – similar to the bright-orange C63 AMG sedan-based Concept 358 and matte-black SLS AMG coupe concept that wowed crowds at the 2010 Sydney show.

Mr von Sanden said Australia’s role in AMG’s success was a key reason for the local importer’s ability to work with AMG to build unique vehicles designed to pull big crowds at motor shows.

“We (Mercedes-Benz) are at the moment number 14 for volume in terms of world ranking and in AMG we are number five. So that makes it clear how successful we are with the AMG brand in Australia.

“And I think that's because the Australian people are very passionate about high-performance cars and, regardless of those very restrictive speed limits, they enjoy their big boys’ toys and their performance cars.

“Nobody can take away from the fact were doing a very good job with the AMG brand here. On the other side we have to admit that AMG has done a very good job for us.”

Asked whether he was discouraged to see German arch-rivals BMW and Audi sidestep the 2012 AIMS and whether he believed it will dilute the impact of this year’s Sydney show, the Mercedes-Benz Australia chief was philosophical.

“I'm discouraged and encouraged,” he said. “If we go back to why motor shows and exhibitions and fairs were invented in the first place, as a market place for customers to compare, then it's certainly a pity if some manufacturers decide not to be there because it devalues the motor show for the people who pay to be there.

“Other than that, we all know in today's very aggressive environment that marketing budgets are under pressure and certain brands have different priorities. Some believe more in motor shows than others, some start with budget cuts in motor shows, others start budget cuts elsewhere.

“I don't think it devalues our presence there. On a positive note we got a bigger stand area,” noted Mr von Sanden.

In contrast to BMW and Audi, a fledgling Japanese luxury brand making its first ever appearance at AIMS will be Infiniti, and the Mercedes-Benz boss says he won't be underestimating the newcomer.

“This is my personal opinion, but I take every company or brand that intends or does play in our segment as a competitor. The customer will decide,” said Mr von Sanden.

“I find it really courageous [for Infiniti] to enter into this very aggressive segment and I'm sure they have smart people in the organisation who have done their homework in terms of where they will find their market. We certainly take everyone seriously.”

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