South Korea will host the world’s first speedway branded with Mercedes-Benz’s AMG high-performance sub-brand as the automaker seeks to expand its presence in Korea’s rapidly growing luxury-car market.
Mercedes-Benz has agreed with Korea’s Samsung Construction & Trading, the holding company for Samsung Group, to change the name of Everland Speedway to AMG Speedway, Dimitris Psillakis, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, says during a news conference marking the 50th anniversary of AMG’s founding. The renamed speedway is to open in early 2018.
“The speedway will house special facilities for AMG owners, including an exclusive lounge and parking lot, all of which will help cement brand loyalty among our customers,” Psillakis says. The track also will host a driving academy for AMG owners.
Located in Yongin in Gyeonggi Province, Everland Speedway was built in 1992 as Korea’s first racing track by Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee.
The move is in line with Mercedes-Benz’s push to increase sales in Korea. The automaker sold 2,359 AMG vehicles in Korea in the January-October period, up 34% from like-2016.
AMG was founded in 1967 by racing engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler in 2005.
Mercedes-Benz Korea says it will continue to expand service offerings for AMG customers. It recently launched a dedicated AMG training program for technicians who will be assigned to 10 service centers around Korea, the English-language JoongAng Daily reports.
Mercedes-Benz Korea also plans to install its Mobilo roadside-assistance service in all AMG cars, the newspaper says. Mobilo includes 24-hour emergency dispatch service and pick-up service.
