(Not) Buying a Mercedes

I actually think it is a good thing that the Mercedes factory store does not sell any actual cars because the factory tour is so thrilling that even I felt like I needed to purchase a car right then. Instead Ron was limited to a choice between two 40 Euro hats, not two 100,000 Euro electric SUVs:

This is a map of the massive SINDELFINGEN factory grounds (note: I did not capitalize that – my iPad did, probably following, somehow, the instructions of the Mercedes corporation, which is an extremely organized and impressive institution.

There are 35,000 workers at SINDELFINGEN. They produce over 300,000 cars a year, using a 24 hour, 3 shift work model. They’ll make you an armored, bullet-proof model for 700 thousand dollars. This is the plant:

Pictures were banned during our tour but here are a few I found online. They really don’t convey the incredible views in the factory – with massive car frame parts, flying around over your head, with robotic arms flinging car hoods, car bodies, car doors around like they’re pizzas, glueing them together, then adding bolts, popping steering wheels on, sliding in the seats…

From the factory, we headed across Stuttgart to see the Mercedes museum, a totally separate building where, it turns out, you CAN purchase a Mercedes on the spot and so here is Ron, looking around for his wallet:

And shopping:

The museum itself is gorgeous inside. To start the tour, you are shot up to the top of the building in these Jetson-style elevators:

And then you are presented with the entire history of movement – starting here with a man and a horse:

And seeing these: a 1937 limousine:

By the time we left the various Mercedes properties, poor Ron deserved to buy something:

And, to the surprise of no one, I’m guessing, we ended our day at Five Guys fast food restaurant, where Ron sat with a mountain of fries, clearly pondering how he ended his Mercedes extravaganza with only a new North Face sweatshirt and a hamburger:

Next up: Porsche!