Imagine you have a G-Wagon on your driveway and you want to customise it. Where would you start? Thanks to the high-end personalisation systems perfected by Mercedes-Benz, you can forget a coordinated Stanley cup or air freshener — because things are about to get much, much deeper.
Mercedes-Benz offers more than 100 exterior paint colours, or you can create your own bespoke tone. You can also pick a shade for brake callipers and rims. Inside the car, you can play with the colour of the leather seats, the steering wheel, and the embroidery. Why not have something stitched into the head rest — your initials, a family crest, or maybe the badge of your beloved football team? The permutations run into the thousands. “It’s a beautiful playground,” smiles Paloma Cury, head of the Mercedes-Benz Manufaktur individualisation programme since 2020.
At the Mercedes-Benz Brand Centre in Dubai, Middle East-based customers can use a tablet to experiment with the different customisation options, in what seems to be an addictive design game. Drawers full of samples and display cabinets allow customers to see, smell and touch materials. Once the design has been finalised, an expert team of seamstresses, tailors, leather workers and paint technicians get to work at the Mercedes-Benz Manufaktur Studio in Sindelfingen near the brand HQ in Stuttgart.
Here, Paloma and her team guide clients — some more high profile than others — as they envision their unique car. “Celebrities are usually busy, nice people. Our team don’t ask for photos or anything, they’re used to meeting them now,” smiles Paloma. “Our customers want to feel emotion when they drive their car. Individualisation allows them to express their personality to the world.”
Individualisation is only available on high-end cars like the G-Class, S-Class, AMG and Maybach. In the first half of 2025, 92 per cent of G-Class vehicles contained at least one element from the Manufaktur programme, and a project can take from three to six months depending on its complexity. Customers are invited to visit the studio whenever they like to talk to the team and receive an update. Paloma explains, “Customers might want to see their family crest being stitched. Sometimes we let them try a training session to show them how complicated it is. They think it looks easy, but it’s not.”
Belinda Günther is in charge of the colour and trim department and agrees with Paloma. “I tried to stitch some leather once and gave up after five minutes,” she laughs. “You need to be an expert but you also have to be so strong to do it.” Technicians complete a three-year training programme before entering the Manufaktur. “We have generations of families working with us,” says Belinda. “It’s beautiful to see that young people want to do this job. We are living in a time that is changing fast and everything is digital but I think there is a need and a passion for tradition and craftsmanship. One of our main targets is to retain this expertise and pass it down from one generation to the next.”
Family crests might contain between 20,000 and 24,000 stitches, while the stitching of a steering wheel can take eight gruelling hours. Leather undergoes different treatments depending on where it will be placed in the car. For example, leather on a steering wheel has to be resistant to sweat and heat; seat leather must resist friction; the dashboard must handle intense sunlight. “Our team inspects all the leather hides to identify and mark any imperfections before cutting,” says Paloma. “Even a tiny insect bite can be detected. We try to use as much of the leather as we can, but there’s no compromise on our standards.”
Belinda arrived at the Manufaktur in 2019 from a fashion background. “I soon realised my work was like decorating a body — but it’s not a human body, it’s a car. That was the moment when it clicked in my head and I knew my fashion background was applicable to cars.”
A large part of Belinda’s work is done in the colour department. If customers want a bespoke shade, the Manufaktur team can create it from scratch. “Colour is one of the most intense forms of expression, especially on vehicles,” says Belinda. “They come in and out of fashion. We are working on new colours and extending the portfolio without being too overwhelming. It needs to be realistic and down to earth, but with your mind and soul facing up to the sky to be creative.”
Once a colour has been agreed, Manufaktur technicians apply the shade using PixelPaint — an innovative high-resolution process. Inspired by a humble inkjet printer, this new technology applies paint directly on to the vehicle body with incredible precision, which enables customers to select customised patterns.
Fashion and nature are Belinda’s chief sources of inspiration in her work but she often delves into the Mercedes-Benz archive to revive classic colours from the past — the 1960s being her favourite. “We are constantly getting impulses to create new colours,” she says. “We take distinctive tones from our long design history that became iconic and we reinvent, redevelop and reinterpret them. We pay homage to our heritage, but we still manage to twist it a little bit to bring it into the present. Honouring heritage without being retro is a balancing act.”
Collaborating on customisation projects is personal work, and friendships can develop between clients and Manufaktur staff as a result. “Customers often want to know who did a particular part of the work so they can meet them,” says Paloma. “They know the effort, the people and the passion behind it. Our experienced seamstresses and tailors bring the dreams of our customers into reality and they are so proud to do it.”
Handing the finished car to a customer is obviously a significant moment and customers often get emotional. “It’s wonderful to see how happy they are, but I also see the passion in the eyes of our team members at that moment, which is unbelievable,” says Paloma. “Trying to make someone’s dreams possible is not an easy job but the Manufaktur is where the magic happens.”
TAILOR MADE
Personal touches are all part of the fun for Middle Eastern customers
Along with craftsmanship, GCC customers have always loved individualisation, says Pablo Souto Carrera, director of marketing strategy at Mercedes-Benz Middle East. In 2024, the region ranked among the top global markets for Manufaktur projects.
Typically a customer chooses three custom elements per vehicle, he explains. “Many customers favour exclusive paint finishes, rare interior combinations and bespoke personalisation, making each of the vehicles we deal with truly unique.”
Every idea and request is examined individually and assessed for technical feasibility. A customised solution is then designed and the price is calculated accordingly. “In a personal consultation, we collaborate with our customers to create a design that best expresses their personality,” says Pablo.
The local Mercedes-Benz team in the UAE manages requests and consultations and works closely with the global Manufaktur division to ensure a seamless customer experience. From order to completion takes between eight and 14 weeks, depending on the customer’s wishes.
“We are constantly working to expand the programme to offer our customers an ever-greater variety of choices,” says Pablo. “If a customer wishes to personalise their vehicle further, this path involves personal support and detailed advice from specially-trained staff in dedicated locations such as the Centre of Excellence in Germany.”
Specialised customisation work is done abroad, depending on the specific model’s production plant. As if customising your car wasn’t enough of a thrill, Mercedes-Benz offers something extra special.
“For an unforgettable experience, customers can even request a handover through their local Mercedes-Benz distributor at the Centre of Excellence in Germany,” smiles Pablo. “This turns the delivery of their dream car into an exclusive, memorable and personal occasion.”
