Start your engines! Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway opens featuring North America's first AMG Brand Centre

• The AMG Brand Centre is adjacent to a new state-of-the-art, 12,540 m² (140,000 square foot) facility that showcases Mercedes-Benz's vision for the future of automotive retail.
• The first facility of its kind in North America ? and only the 10^th in the world ? the AMG Brand Centre at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway features distinctive AMG elements that immerse customers in performance luxury.
• To celebrate the new facility, young people from Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) took part in "Driving Your Future at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway," an empowering, motorsport-themed evening featuring inspirational talks from Marc Lafleur, a Canadian entrepreneur, race-car driver, and former BBBS mentee ("Little"), and Demi Chalkias, driver of the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4 with JMF Motorsports, who is featured in a soon to be released documentary about women in motorsport.

TORONTO, April 25, 2024 /CNW/ - The new Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway dealership is now open, and it includes North America's first AMG Brand Centre. This cutting-edge, 12,540 m² (140,000 square foot) facility was built according to the luxury brand's latest design concept, which represents its vision for the future of automotive retail. The AMG Brand Centre is a distinct, immersive 610 m² (6,536 square foot) space adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz dealership, which serves as a dedicated showcase for Mercedes-Benz's high-performance specialty brand, Mercedes-AMG. It features a private lounge, a delivery area exclusively for AMG vehicles, and AMG experts who are specially trained to guide customers through the experience.

"Congratulations to the whole Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway team on this outstanding new facility, including the first AMG Brand Centre in North America," says Andreas Tetzloff, CEO, Mercedes-Benz Canada. "In Canada, approximately one out of every five passenger vehicles retailed is an AMG. By creating a space where enthusiasts can be immersed in the track-bred world of Mercedes-AMG, the team at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway is investing in our customers and their passion for performance luxury."

"We're proud to be expanding our partnership with Mercedes-Benz Canada and to be bringing this world-class facility to life in Toronto," says Joe Zanchin, Founder and Chairman of Zanchin Automotive Group. "Mercedes-Benz offers an exceptional, unique take on modern luxury and we're excited to offer Canadians a new dealership experience with North America's first AMG Brand Centre."

Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway is located at 1631 The Queensway in Etobicoke, near the intersection of Highway 427 and the Gardiner Expressway. The building's strong AMG influence is evident even at first glance, with distinctive AMG architecture, a radiating LED façade, and a clear AMG logo. The Mercedes-AMG team in Affalterbach, Germany, developed the AMG Brand Centre's exterior and interior design elements to reflect the bold, raw, and dynamic AMG ethos, which features a black, white, and red colour palette.

"Glowing pulsing red, accented in a dark environment, symbolizes power, passion, and performance. The materials used are characterized by their authenticity and deliberately create a connection to the brand's values and vision," says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer, Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway dealership is an expansive, state-of-the-art facility that embodies Mercedes-Benz's vision for the future of automotive retail. The facility's design concept ?developed by the Stuttgart-based, Mercedes-Benz Design Team ? envelops visitors in a feeling of modern luxury.

The building's largely transparent façade creates a flowing transition between its interior and exterior, with boundaries deliberately kept to a minimum to maintain a feeling of spaciousness. Throughout the sales and service journey, a combination of spatial design, innovative processes, and seamlessly integrated digital platforms turns the showroom into a true brand experience. Dynamic video content is displayed on eighteen large digital screens, the largest of which is an impressive 2 m by 7.2 m. Capable of showing a wide range of presentation formats, these screens can be used to complement the vehicles on the showroom floor.

In the dealership's public spaces, every element has been designed to enhance the customer's interactions with the vehicles. Administrative tasks are reduced or streamlined via integrated digital platforms, allowing customers to enjoy the world's most desirable cars without visual distraction or interruption. The retail concept combines personal interactions and traditional services with digital touchpoints that centralize information, allowing a smooth and efficient experience across all departments, from sales to financing and service. 

The facility at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway features 35 service bays, including 7 within a specialty area for cargo and passenger vans. It also includes charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, with 21 Level 2 Chargers (9.6 kW) and three Level 3 High-Speed Chargers (62.5 kW). 

The design and digital processes at the facility create an enhanced experience for customers arriving for service appointments, as well. Upon arrival, visitors drive their vehicles into an indoor service-reception area, where they are greeted by a Service Advisor who is already aware of the appointment details with the help of the dealership's integrated digital platforms.

The AMG Brand Centre has been designed to host brand events and experiences for AMG enthusiasts. To celebrate the opening of the new facility, while showcasing the AMG Brand Centre's potential as a unique event venue, Mercedes-Benz invited young people from the community organization Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) to an empowering, motorsport-themed evening. "Driving Your Future at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway" featured inspirational talks from Canadian entrepreneur, race-car driver, and former mentee ("Little") in BBBS programs, Marc Lafleur, and Canadian racecar driver featured in an upcoming documentary about women in motorsport, Demi Chalkias.

Lafleur comes from very humble beginnings. He remembers attending high school with holes in his shoes. He found his niche in entrepreneurship and in 2016, he founded truLOCAL, an online marketplace for consumers to connect with local farmers and producers. In five years, he successfully built the company into a team of more than 60 people, expanding across Canada and the U.S. In 2021, he sold the business for $16.8 million. A motorsport enthusiast from a young age, Lafleur was able to fulfil a lifelong dream of buying a car and racing following the sale of TruLOCAL. In 2022, he became the CASC Pirelli Sprint GT3 Champion and Rookie of the Year.

Lafleur is passionate about sharing his story as an example that anyone, from any background, can find success.

"As a former 'Little' with Big Brothers Big Sisters, for me to be here talking to these young people is truly a full-circle moment. It's an honour to work with Mercedes-Benz, helping to empower kids to drive their futures," says Lafleur. "I hope my story will be an example to these bright young people that anyone can find success by identifying their passion, setting their goals, laying out a route, and steering their lives in the direction ? and to the destination ? they've chosen." 

Chalkias also overcame a variety of challenges ? both financial and health-related - to achieve her dream of racing professionally. She now drives the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4 with JMF Motorsports and is featured in a soon-to-be-released documentary about women in motorsport. She now uses her platform as a professional driver to inspire young people to find their passions and go after what they want. 

"I love being involved in events like 'Driving Your Future.' There is nothing more rewarding than knowing you have made a positive difference for a young person," says Chalkias. "As much as possible, I want to inspire young people to identify what they want and to go after it."   

Mercedes-Benz Canada is proud to partner with BBBS of Canada to ignite the potential of Canada's young people through the power of mentorship. "Driving Your Future" events are designed to uplift and empower the next generation of Canadian youth, offering inspiration and encouragement to reach their full potential.

"Driving Your Future is an extension of how Mercedes-Benz leads and accelerates change. As an organization, our approach is to think globally and act locally. It's wonderful to see the team at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway inaugurate their beautiful new facility by extending our national partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters to the local level by hosting kids from local chapters for an inspirational evening featuring two impressive Canadian motorsport personalities," says Tetzloff.

As part of the national partnership, Mercedes-Benz Canada is the title sponsor of BBBSC's National Youth Mentoring Advisory Council (NYMAC). This nationwide consortium of youth experts (aged 17-28) is helping to shape the future of mentorship in Canada. NYMAC provides consultation, undertakes projects, and takes a leadership role in supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada on issues related to youth mentoring. NYMAC members ensure the voice of Canadian youth authentically informs the work of BBBSC. NYMAC members Anna Chandra and Kira McCarron participated in "Driving Your Future at Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway" as emcees for the evening.

"Our Driving Your Future partnership with Mercedes-Benz Canada is building connections with communities through our National Youth Mentorship Advisory Council.  NYMAC youth ambassadors will unlock potential, working closely with their local communities to expand possibilities for young Canadians facing adversities," says Jill Zelmanovits, President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.

The Zanchin Automotive Group established its roots in Vaughan, Ontario with a single dealership ? Number 7 Honda, which opened for business in 1973. Joe Zanchin came to Canada from Italy with nothing more than a dream of establishing a better life. Through a passion for automobiles, dedication and hard work, the Zanchin Automotive Group has grown to become one of Canada's largest dealer groups with 39 locations in Ontario. The Group is dedicated to service excellence, community engagement, and building a solid reputation of trust in the automotive industry ? both with the manufacturers they represent and the guests they serve. Learn more at zanchinauto.com.

Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service of Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and G-Class, including combustion, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric models, as well as Mercedes-Benz Vans. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada employs approximately 250 people across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 59 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 35,949 vehicles in 2023.

Further information from Mercedes-Benz Canada is available at media.mercedes-benz.ca.

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.