Mercedes Benz Malaysia’s Martin Schulz On The Company’s Renewed Focus And Priorities

Immediately upon stepping into his role, Schulz finds himself at a pivotal moment: the brand’s 140th anniversary—the start of a nearly three-year global celebration that will see the launch of 40 new models.

“We kicked it off with strong campaigns around Chinese New Year and Hari Raya, playing on the number 140, and are now driving a major product offensive tailored to what’s relevant for Malaysia and our local customer base,” he says.

Schulz brings a substantial track record to the position. He has been with the marque since 1999, previously serving as CEO in the UAE and Romania, and spending a decade in senior management roles across Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea. Most recently, he was based in Stuttgart, Germany, at the company’s headquarters, where he held various sales and marketing roles.

“Customer experience is our number one priority. Feedback—especially through surveys—is our most important tool to continuously improve,” Schulz says of his priorities. “Malaysia is a market where we have a long-standing legacy of more than 75 years, with roots dating back to the early 20th century. Today, we have built a strong ecosystem with more than 30 sales and service points nationwide.

“Building on this foundation, we are focused on strengthening our relationship with customers,” he adds. “Our customers should simply enjoy the product—we take care of the rest. That’s the mindset. Continuous feedback is critical in refining the right offerings and, with our 140th anniversary this year, it’s the perfect moment to elevate these services further.”

Mercedes-Benz also introduced Agility+, a financing option that offers lower monthly repayments and the option to settle, extend, or return the vehicle at the end of the agreement.

“We’ve had a fantastic start exploring the opportunities that lay ahead of us,” Schulz says. “We have so much that we can really build on, but exploring this with my team, day by day, to see how we can improve our services and product offering—that’s what drives me. We believe in the growth potential of our business in Malaysia, and we’re exploring that from end to end.

“That includes our strong commitment to running our local production—our CKD production—driving our top-end vehicle segment, and driving electrification,” he continues. “We are bringing the right products for it, and we are also going to invest in more convenient charging services—a crucial part of electrification. We want to make it as easy as refuelling a car.”

What are you looking forward to most this year?

Test drives. It’s super exciting to learn what products are relevant for the Malaysian market and, with any new or existing product, it is absolutely important to experience it—and that means test drives of all kinds are a key focus for us. We want customers to experience the different drivetrains we offer and how they perform, and to see how they fit with their lives. Does it fit my family? Is the boot capacity enough? Is it meeting my requests in terms of agility and performance? Therefore, test drives are crucial, and they are a fundamental factor in our product offering.

Where do you do your best work?

At the heart of the action, I would say, surrounded by my team. I’m a big fan of being with the team, face-to-face, in a room—especially during crunch time, when you have a topic and put your heads together. That kind of exchange, sparring, and teamwork is, I think, where my best work comes out.

What other interests have you been exploring?

I’m a big fan of all the new large language model AI tools. I am too old to become a data scientist, that’s for sure. That would take a lot of investment. But I want to create the framework where data scientists can explore now. I am encouraging my boys to study it. So, next to their regular school curriculum, they have these playful online classes in things like graphic design and graphic programming. They have just started code-based programming. Python, for me, looks like another language—like English—so I at least want to prepare them for a much more digital future once they enter the workforce.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning?

Drink coffee. And later, probably a bit too many. But with a vitamin shake. Not sure if that really counteracts it, though.

How do you find calm?

The sheer fact of sitting in a car, having my entertainment around me, and being in my massage seats. It’s really a moment of calming down, so by the time you arrive home, you’re already in a better state of mind.

Now, of course, I’m exploring Malaysia—exploring the countryside, exploring the East Coast. I’ve just been on a small diving trip with my two boys to Tenggol Island, which was just beautiful. It’s important to have these moments where you simply enjoy the view.

Where are your favourite places to drive?

My favourite place to drive is a new one. Exploring new locations would be my preference—other than the race track, of course. I have yet to explore Sepang. I haven’t had a chance to drive on it, so I hope we do our driving events again soon.