Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a digital-focused store redesign aimed at dialing down the high-pressure, transactional experience that has defined auto retail.
The luxury automaker is also experimenting with alternative formats, including small-footprint showrooms in retail centers and service-only sites. Automakers are giving their retail strategies a rethink in response to the emergence of online car-shopping and direct-sales competitors, notably luxury segment leader Tesla.
"We are moving away from traditional big locations to add small, lifestyle formats where people can walk in, see a product, get some information," Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dimitris Psillakis told Automotive News.