Sydney gets world-first AMG dealership

Mercedes-AMG has opened its first stand-alone dealership in Sydney, offering AMG customers new and used vehicle sales, finance and service within the facility located in the Kingsford Smith Airport precinct.

While Tokyo’s Setagaya AMG centre was the first to offer a stand-alone showroom for Mercedes-AMG, it adjoins a Mercedes-Benz dealership and does not offer servicing.

AMG Sydney’s architecture is based on that of the AMG building in Affalterbach, Germany. The 1000 square-metre, two-storey building’s exterior has an ‘LED façade’ that during daylight hours features prominent white louvres and at night is lit up in white and red.

The floor inside the building is asphalt with LED inset lighting, and the interior layout has been designed to cater for VIP functions and media events, as well as a boutique, a digital vehicle configurator, lounge areas, a hand-over area and service area.

Around 15 staff are employed at the new dealership, including an AMG Brand Manager, sales specialists and AMG technicians – all of whom are graduates of the Mercedes-AMG training academy in Affalterbach, Germany.

AMG Sydney is on the old Mercedes-Benz Airport Express site, which closed in February. This leaves just one local Mercedes-Benz Airport Express, at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.

The dealership’s opening function last Saturday night was attended by Mercedes-AMG global head of sales Patrick Marinoff and on display was the Mercedes-AMG GT4 Concept revealed in Geneva this year, plus the AMG GT R and the AMG GT3 race car.

The new stand-alone dealership is testament to Australia’s standing as one of the five top Mercedes-AMG markets globally. Local AMG sales this year are projected to top last year’s 5200-unit tally by around 1800 sales, according to local Mercedes-Benz PR boss David McCarthy.

AMG Sydney is part of the Mercedes-Benz Sydney group, which is owned by Chinese concern Lei Shing Hong (LSH). LSH owns three other Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Australia; two in Melbourne and one in Brisbane.

LSH also owns almost 200 Mercedes-Benz outlets globally, including 60 in the UK and 40 in Germany as well as outlets across south-east Asia.

At the same time, the first ‘Mercedes me’ cafe has opened in Melbourne.

The world’s ninth Mercedes me store, in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, aims to offer “an interactive brand experience” via contemporary multi-level architecture, special events and top-class coffee and gastronomy courtesy of acclaimed hospitality partner ST Ali.

By night, Mercedes me Melbourne will transform into a brand-new event space showcasing art, food, fashion, sport, design, innovation and collaboration, and also “harness existing Mercedes-Benz partnerships such as the National Gallery of Victoria, the Australian Grand Prix and Virgin Australian Melbourne Fashion Festival”.

Preceded by similar stores in Hamburg, Tokyo (city and Haneda), Osaka, Hong Kong, Munich, Moscow and Beijing, Mercedes me Melbourne is located on the bustling and iconic corner of Collins and King streets.

“It is a great reflection on the importance of our local market to open a Mercedes me store in Australia,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific CEO and managing director Horst von Sanden.

“To open such a facility amid Melbourne’s world-renowned food and drink scene is a great honour and we are sure that we can do Melbourne and Mercedes-Benz proud.”