Mercedes-Benz Linking to Fashion
At Shanghai Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its “Vision Iconic” concept and Art Night under the theme Legendary Future (传奇新生) — transforming a historic Bund landmark into a stage for emotion.
The foreign automakers in China are under pressure to adapt:
In the luxury space, foreign brands are shifting their approach to what luxury watchmakers have done for a long time, in demonstrating provenance, heritage and their products as object d'art - something to be carefully considered, curated and collected.
They are moving away from messages linked to performance.
The hope is that they can build new associations with car purchase decisions, as China's consumer landscape is quickly evolving.
Consumers have become more prudent and value driven (even in luxury).
People are evaluating products based on raw functional merit now more than ever. And, in this head-to-head, the Chinese automakers are often coming out ahead - particularly as the market has pivoted toward EVs.
So, much like the decision to buy an Apple Watch or a mechanical timepiece, the foreign automakers are looking to shift the narrative towards provenance.
