Mercedes-Benz opens its first Australian Studio in central Sydney

Key takeaways

• Open to the public from today at 39 Martin Place, Sydney
• New GLE 350 d on display, priced at $142,300 before on-roads
• Opening hours are weekdays 10am to 6pm, weekends closed

Mercedes-Benz has opened its first Australian Studio in the centre of Sydney with the doors open to the public from 17 September. The space sits at 39 Martin Place, in the middle of the city's financial district, and works as a brand showcase rather than a dealership.

Vehicles rotate through the Studio alongside product launches, exhibitions and events covering design, sport, fashion and technology. Entry is open to anyone walking past, and there are no sales staff working the floor in the way a showroom does.

Guests at this week's opening were given the first public look in Australia at the new GLE 350 d, the diesel entry point to the updated range at $142,300 before on-road costs. That car reaches dealerships later this year, so the display gives Sydney buyers a look at the large SUV months before most showrooms will have one.

Inside the Martin Place Studio

The fit-out borrows heavily from Mercedes-Benz cabin materials and includes:

• A floor-to-ceiling LED wall that changes with each new display or event
• Seat leather with white contrast stitching, brushed silver metal, timber and textile finishes
• A Burmester sound system built around a 232 integrated amplifier, two 218 power amplifiers and BC150 speakers
• Decorative lighting by Volker Haug, winner of the 2025 Melbourne Design Week Award
• Modular seating and contemporary furniture arranged around the cars

Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific CEO and managing director Homero Becerra said Sydney was chosen for its international profile.

"It's a place where there's business, there's art, there's passion, there's creativity," he said.

Melbourne had one first

This is not the brand's first attempt at an inner-city space in Australia, though the concept was a different one.

The Mercedes me store opened at 525 Collins Street in Melbourne in November 2017, built around hospitality rather than the cars. It ran as a working café with local roaster ST. ALi, turned into an events venue at night for art, fashion and sport collaborations, and kept just a single vehicle on display at a time.

Melbourne's store shut its doors on 20 March 2020 as the pandemic took hold and never reopened.

Mercedes me Melbourne

Sydney joins a global network

More than 10 Studios are opening across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia during 2026. Sydney lines up with Los Angeles, Munich, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Toronto, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest and Delhi. Each site follows the same global framework but is tailored to its city, and the rollout forms part of the brand's 140-year anniversary program.

The Studio is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm and closed on weekends and NSW public holidays. Vehicle displays change regularly, so the GLE 350 d will eventually give way to other models as local launches roll through the calendar.