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Brabus has chosen Australia for its bespoke manufacturing program with local luxury car distributor, Zagame.
In a world first, German company Brabus and Zagame have launched a personalisation program in Australia to ‘manufacture’ custom vehicles locally as a Stage 2 OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).
The factory-supported Brabus Refinement Program enables customers of the Melbourne-based luxury car dealer to customise their vehicle with upgrades certified as original and fully covered by warranty.
According to the Department of Infrastructure, “Second stage of manufacture (SSM) is when a base vehicle is modified to become an alternative vehicle.”
The upgrades will be carried out with vehicles completed at Zagame’s Tullamarine facility on the outskirts of Melbourne – and while a handful of other places globally fit Brabus components, it’s the first time the company has worked with a dealer group on an OEM manufacturing program.
“What we have done here in Australia is truly a world first,” Marcandrea Beatson, Managing Director of Korum International – importers of Brabus into Australia – told Drive.
“We are no longer presenting Brabus as an aftermarket tuning company, we are bringing Brabus to the market as an OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer].”
“Australia lends itself, because many people don't realise this, but Australia generally punches way above its weight in high performance and in luxury cars.”
Customers can supply their own vehicle – new or used – or order a new Brabus with their chosen options.
The program is vehicle specific – down to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) being logged with Brabus headquarters – which means the added spend/value is recorded against the vehicle, safeguarding future value.
“What happens to your vehicle when you do a full Brabus conversion, your product, your vehicle, your end result, has an identity and has a value that you would never achieve if you were to independently buy and fit at a panel shop some components.”
Brabus customisation choices available to Australian customers include unique paintwork and body parts, cabin treatments as well as mechanical components – such as ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and turbo upgrades – boosting power and performance.
The program is a collaboration exclusively offered through Zagame Automotive.
“It's in line with everything else we do in the super luxury and prestige market that we're in with other brands, so the brand association with Brabus made sense,” Andre Selliah, Zagame General Manager of Tullamarine Operations, told Drive.
“It caters to the sort of clientele we already deal with,” Mr Selliah said.
“There are clients that already know the brand Brabus, and they know all about what Brabus is about from a global perspective.
“Australia has sort of been a bit untouched or they’ve dabbled with it in the past and I guess now with Zagame on board, we're launching into full refinement programs and not just your accessory fitments – it’s a proper upgrade, a full upgrade to the car.”
Formed in 1977, Brabus is a German company made famous for fitting high performance parts including powertrain upgrades, often resulting in extreme versions – described by the company as ‘next level’ – of already highly-capable Mercedes-Benz models.
In 2006, the company set a world record for the fastest street-legal sedan when the Brabus Rocket – based on a V8-powered Mercedes-Benz CLS – reached a top speed of 362.4km/h.
While it predominantly has worked on cars from the German car brand – and associated brands including Maybach and Smart – Brabus has also worked on Porsche, Range Rover and Rolls-Royce upgrades.
Brabus also made an appearance at the 2025 Melbourne Motor Show with the launch of the Smart #5 Brabus, a factory built performance flagship of the electric SUV.
