“AMG is a black hole that once you enter, it’s hard to escape,” says AMG expert Lee Ye-chang from AMG Seoul.
On the 24th of last month, as the autumn leaves turned red, I visited ‘AMG Seoul,’ operated by Han Sung Motor, the official dealer of Mercedes-Benz. AMG Seoul has become the sixth AMG-exclusive center in the world, following locations in Sydney, Gdansk, Setagaya, Shanghai, and Zhejiang. I had the opportunity to interview Lee Ye-chang and Kim Hyun-joo, who work as AMG sales experts at this only AMG center in Korea.
When I asked about the difference between a regular salesperson and an AMG sales expert, Lee Ye-chang responded, “We are a group of AMG experts gathered since the opening of the AMG brand center. AMG sales experts are those who have completed training at the Mercedes-AMG headquarters. We are deep experts, trained in both Mercedes and AMG.”
It has been a year since AMG Seoul opened. It has established itself as a destination not only for customers looking to purchase but also for students and fans of AMG. Each time an new AMG edition model is released, customers flock to see it. When AMG Seoul celebrated its first anniversary last September, it displayed the legendary open-top 300SL Roadster, resulting in a 33% increase in visitor numbers compared to previous periods. It seems AMG Seoul is emerging as a new hotspot for car enthusiasts.
While AMG high-performance models are often seen as male-centric, this is not the case. Female customers are also falling in love with the high-performance allure of AMG. Kim Hyun-joo shares, “Half of my customers are women,” and “I see many older female customers purchasing AMG.” Lee Ye-chang adds, “My first customer was a woman who completed training at the AMG Driving Academy and purchased a Mercedes-AMG A35,” stating that 30% of his customers are also women.
What are some of the joyful and rewarding moments of working as an AMG sales expert? Kim Hyun-joo says, “The influx of female customers has increased significantly, and they are friendly and approachable.” She adds, “Even though they are women, they know a lot,” commenting that it feels great to receive compliments.
AMG has a diverse lineup, from compact to large models. Kim Hyun-joo elaborates, “AMG’s engine lineup ranges from 35 to 63. The GLB35 is highly regarded as a family car, while the GLC 43 boasts dynamic driving performance. The beautifully shaped C43 Coupe and E53 Coupe, along with the legendary off-roader G63, are models loved by people of all ages.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr