Popup locations will stay open for around two months and educate customers about Mercedes-Benz vehicles in a laid-back environment.
Car dealerships can be stressful places. The second you step into one, you’re a target. It doesn’t matter if you bought a car from that particular location before. If you didn’t, then the sales staff wants to make sure that you do. Even if you did and you just brought your car in for service, there’s a good chance someone will try to persuade you to trade it in toward the purchase of a brand new model. Pop up stores have a different, more casual approach. Mercedes-Benz has already tried them in a couple of major cities and it’s looking to set up even more of them this year.
According to CarBuzz, “Mercedes-Benz is looking to inch away from the painful dealership experience with Automotive News Europe reporting that more Mercedes pop-up stores are coming to the US this year.” Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler added that the stores will probably focus on new product launches. Given that the list of future vehicles on Mercedes-Benz’s US website includes the restyled C-Class family, new AMG E-Class variants, the Mercedes-AMG GT four-door coupe, and the new G-Class, the pop-up stores will have plenty to show and tell potential consumers.
Each store will stay open for about two months and focus on displaying and explaining a handful of vehicles instead of just purely selling them. Expect the locations to have a modern, Apple-Store-like look to them.
As of right now, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t picked the exact locations for its future pop-up stores (aside from one in Chicago), but it should be a safe bet to guess they’ll be in the upscale areas of major cities around the country.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
