Driving Force

The new Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham dealership commands a stunning hillside in Irondale.

Setting a standard for luxury in metro Birmingham is the focus for Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham general manager Randy Powell.

For more than 40 years, Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham, formerly known as Crown, has been serving greater Birmingham in Mercedes-Benz sales, service and parts.

With new ownership came the impetus to expand the footprint for Mercedes in Birmingham, as well as a drive to create for the city’s purchasers the “kind of luxury experience they deserve,” says GM Powell.

Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham and Mercedes-Benz of Music City are majority owned by Joe Agresti and Nick and Terry Saban. Agresti owns other Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Baton Rouge and Woodlands, Texas.

With the opening of the Irondale dealership just off Grants Mill Road and I-459, Mercedes-Benz now has two locations to serve customers. The original Hoover campus will offer full service facilities, as well as used car sales and commercial van sales. The Irondale dealership will focus on service and new and used vehicle sales.

Coach Nick Saban brings an unparalleled sense of commitment and desire to the process of running a successful dealership for both customers and employees. Coach Saban says, “The ‘good enough is good enough’ attitude is not what we’re looking for, we have got to use every opportunity to improve individually so we can improve collectively.”

The new dealership is set in a commanding position on a hillside overlooking the interstate. The nine-acre site has room for about 600 new and used vehicles.

The facility is a comprehensive sales and service dealership which has the capacity to house about 70 employees.

Designed by Praxis3 and constructed by Rives Construction, the dealership features floor to ceiling windows and stark black paneling outside that shows off the Mercedes three-pointed star logo burnished to a high polish. A long drive winds its way up from Grants Mill to the dealership with plenty of vehicles in view. Outdoor fountains complete the luxury feel of the exterior.

The showpiece of the exterior of the dealership is without a doubt the tall glass tower that showcases a vehicle, looming over the space below. Given the ownership of the enterprise a likely color for the car on display in the tower is crimson red.

Inside the main area of the dealership, a colorful indoor fountain sets a luxurious mood, coupled with specialized artwork adorning the walls. The showroom will serve as the delivery location for customers to pick up their new vehicles.

One of the most innovative aspects of the dealership is the full-service Edgar’s Bakery located right on site. The bakery goods, sandwiches and beverages enhance the comfortable feeling for customers.

Along with high-touch, high tech is very much in evidence at the dealership with amenities that enhance the service aspects of the customer experience. For example, when a vehicle enters a service bay, the vehicle’s alignment will automatically be checked.

Wifi is available throughout the Irondale campus. The service facility is within view of the comfortable customer lounge so that customers have a sense of their vehicle’s status throughout the service process.

The service areas have been designed to be bright and airy with plenty of lighting and a high-tech gloss to the space.