First, the founders of Mercedes-Benz invented the car. Then, the company spent another century obsessing over the finer points. Innovations came in the form of engineering feats like the anti-lock braking system or trendsetting designs like the gull-wing door. Now, there’s a new company focus, one every bit as important as its vehicles: its customers.
In a massive transformation for a company of its size and heritage, Mercedes-Benz is bringing its legendary attention to detail to everything its customers see, hear, and feel. According to CEO Ola Källenius, this starts from the moment customers begin searching for cars online and continues through all the years they’ll spend driving them.
Källenius said the idea is to give every customer a true Mercedes experience — not just in the car, but in every touchpoint with the brand.
“You can never forget why we are doing this. We’re doing it for the customer,” Källenius said. “We’re doing it for the Mercedes-Benz fans. And that’s why we are now taking that customer-centric approach into a new dimension.”
Källenius likes to say he works for a startup 135 years in the making. It was in 1886 that Carl Benz introduced the world’s first automobile, the Motorwagen, which had three spoked wheels and a top speed of 10 miles per hour. Today, innovation at Mercedes-Benz looks a little different.
