- Mercedes can now paint unique patterns on the S-Class
- Demand for custom cars has led to an expansion of its Manufaktur Studio
- The plan is to roll out of the offering to Mercedes-AMG sports cars soon
Growing interest in highly personalized cars has resulted in Mercedes-Benz expanding its Manufaktur Studio in its ultra-modern Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany – the same place that churns out S-Class limousines and the like.
Already hosting a number of specially-trained employees that go to town befitting vehicles with all manner of fancy interior textiles and the fabrication of bespoke features (think champagne fridges and leather headliners), it has expanded to cope with growing demand and has begun using some new advanced techniques to keep pace.
One of these innovations is what Mercedes called PixelPaint, which the company says is inspired by inkjet printers and applies high-quality paint directly onto the vehicle body with “incredible precision”.
Think beyond simple shades and start imagining patterns and unique paint designs applied to a vehicle by a machine and you are basically there.
What is PixelPaint?
Mercedes says its new PixelPaint technology is “inspired by the function on an inkjet printer” and can apply “high-quality paint directly onto the body of the vehicle with incredible precision”. It can currently only be applied to the bonnet, but Mercedes says it’s planning to expand it to the whole car.
The company’s AMG Project One, as well as Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series ‘P One Edition’ that was spawned from it, featured a unique paint job that included the famous three-pointed stars painstakingly applied to the bodywork by hand.
It is this sort of thing that PixelPaint is able to achieve, with one current example being a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class daubed with Maybach insignia all over the bonnet.
For now, the Manufaktur Studio can only deal with 20 cars per day and it will be offered to 2025 S-Class customers wanting to personalize their vehicles further. The idea is to expand the offering to Mercedes-AMG sports-car models, too.
Although the program still leans heavily on highly-skilled craftspeople, the recent revamping has also introduced a number of technological upgrades, including the use of AI to detect irregularities in leather hides, for example, as well as as driverless transport systems that deliver tools and materials to workers.
Analysis: Money doesn’t buy class… unless it’s an S-Class
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Currently, Mercedes says that the bonnet is the only location it can apply its PixelPaint method, although it does hope to expand this to include the rest of the car at a later date.
That means we may soon see S-Class and G-Class daubed in Louis Vuitton or Gucci branding, or even just a giant image of the owner’s face.
The company says the Manufaktur program is proving extremely popular and has already accounted for over 30% of vehicles sold in the top-end segment in the first half of 2024, with this number only due to increase.
We live in a time of hyper-individuality, where customers want a unique grille, paint and wheel combo in order to stand out from the crowd. While the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley have been offering this sort of thing for years, Mercedes-Benz is effectively bringing that level of customization at a reduced cost.
That said, the company hasn’t mentioned pricing. I guess if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.