Mercedes-Benz opened a brand studio in Seongsu-dong, a so-called "hot place" frequently visited by Millennials and Gen Z (born in the early 1980s to early 2000s). It is the fifth such space in the world. Matthias Leidl, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, said, "Rather than saying we want to sell cars, the key is to engage the younger generation." After an electric vehicle fire in 2025, Mercedes, which had slowed in Korea's imported car market, has recently been ramping up domestic marketing, including unveiling the electrified C-Class model in Korea for the first time in the world.
At the Mercedes-Benz Studio opening event held on the morning of the 18th in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Leidl said, "The goal is to increase touchpoints with customers in various ways," adding, "Just as Mercedes invented the world's first automobile 140 years ago, it means we will continue to explore the Korean market in new ways." Kim Eun-jung, head of product and sales at Mercedes-Benz Korea, said, "We also loaded various apps that Koreans like into the new S-Class, and we want to project a younger image."
The brand studio that Mercedes-Benz Korea opened in Seongsu is the fifth in the world, following Copenhagen in Switzerland, Stockholm in Sweden, Tokyo in Japan, and Prague in the Czech Republic. It is a space different in meaning from a dedicated showroom that sells vehicles. Leidl said, "We thought to go back to the origin, so we styled the exterior like the Mannheim, Germany, plant facade and fused Mercedes' history with a future-oriented image." The brand store is scheduled to operate for about a year, until next year.
The studio is made up of four spaces. They include a space exhibiting the automobile first invented by Karl Benz 140 years ago, a space arranged with Mercedes' representative models, and a space where visitors can experience sound and scents as applied to the S-Class that began preorders that day. Lee Sang-guk, executive vice president and head of digital and marketing communications at Mercedes-Benz Korea, said, "It is a new concept that allows an immersive experience of the Mercedes brand," adding, "We will engage with customers across both online and offline."
Mercedes has recently been putting exceptional effort into the Korean market. Actively adopting functions that Korean consumers primarily use into its vehicles is a good example. Kim Eun-jung said, "In terms of the in-car digital experience, we are investing a lot in advancing the apps for Korean customers, the apps Korean customers look for." Mercedes loaded not only T Map but also Wavve and other apps Koreans use into the new S-Class, and, together with LG Uplus, added a live system.
Mercedes also began preorders for the new S-Class on the morning of the same day. According to Mercedes, the new S-Class features the most extensive changes that can be shown within a single generation, with every detail meticulously refined. More than 50% of the components that make up the vehicle—about 2,700 elements—have been newly developed or redesigned. It is slated for official delivery to Korean customers around the third quarter of next year.
In addition, Mercedes announced a plan to roll out its in-house operating system, MBOS, in Korea. Among vehicles equipped with MBOS, the S-Class will be the first model released domestically. Kim said, "There are still parts of the advanced driver system regulations that have not been finalized, so we are preparing for the approval process," adding, "We are preparing for a launch next year, but it is not yet confirmed."
Previously, Mercedes said it planned to release a model equipped with "Alpamayo," a "Level 2++" system. This is an Autonomous Driving artificial intelligence (AI) model developed in-house by Nvidia. It drew attention when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at CES 2026, the world's largest IT and home appliance show in January, that Alpamayo would be released this year, and it is currently commercialized in the United States and China. For Mercedes' Level 2++, the key is that as long as the driver keeps eyes on the road, the car drives itself from departure to destination. It works on both highways and in urban areas.