Mercedes’ new PixelPaint technology is like an inkjet printer for cars – and could accelerate car personalization
- Mercedes can now paint unique patterns on the S-Class
- The demand for customized cars has led to an expansion of the Manufaktur Studio
- The plan is to roll out the offering to Mercedes-AMG sports cars soon
Growing interest in highly personalized cars has led Mercedes-Benz to expand its Manufaktur Studio at its state-of-the-art Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany – the same place where S-Class limousines and the like are produced.
It already houses a number of specially trained staff who go into the city to fit vehicles with all manner of luxury interior textiles and the manufacture of bespoke features (think champagne fridges and leather headliners), but has been expanded to meet growing demand and is started using some new advanced techniques to keep up.
One of these innovations is what Mercedes called PixelPaint, which the company says is inspired by inkjet printers and applies high-quality paint directly to the vehicle’s body with “incredible precision.”
Think beyond simple shades and start imagining patterns and unique paint designs being applied to a vehicle by a machine, and you’re basically there.
What is PixelPaint?
Mercedes says its new PixelPaint technology is “inspired by the function of an inkjet printer” and can “apply high-quality paint directly to the vehicle body with incredible precision.” Currently it can only be applied to the hood, but Mercedes says it plans to expand this to the entire car.
The company’s AMG Project One, as well as the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series ‘P One Edition’ it spawned, featured a unique paint job that included the famous three-pointed stars painstakingly hand-applied to the bodywork.
It’s this sort of thing that PixelPaint can achieve, with the current example being a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class defaced with Maybach badges all over the bonnet.
For now, the Manufaktur Studio can only process 20 cars per day and will be offered in 2025 to S-Class customers who want to further personalize their cars. The idea is to also expand the range to sports car models from Mercedes-AMG.
While the program still relies heavily on highly skilled artisans, the recent refresh has also introduced a number of technological upgrades, including the use of AI to detect irregularities in leather hides, for example, as well as self-driving transportation systems that deliver tools and materials to workers.
Analysis: Money doesn’t buy a class… unless it’s an S-Class
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Currently, Mercedes says the hood is the only place it can apply its PixelPaint method, although it hopes to expand this to the rest of the car at a later date.
That means we could soon see the S-Class and G-Class defaced with Louis Vuitton or Gucci branding, or even just a giant image of the owner’s face.
The company says the Manufaktur program is proving to be extremely popular, already responsible for more than 30% of sales in the top segment in the first half of 2024, and that this number will only increase.
We live in a time of hyper-individuality, where customers want a unique combination of grille, paint and wheels to stand out from the crowd. While companies like Rolls-Royce and Bentley have been offering this kind of thing for years, Mercedes-Benz is effectively bringing that level of customization at a lower cost.
That said, the company hasn’t mentioned any pricing. I guess if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.