In the few years that DMC Luxury cars are uploaded on to Autogespot, the brand became more and more popular. With impressive projects such as the Spia Middle East Edition and the LP900-4 Molto Veloce, the tuner shows that they're very capable of personalizing a car. Why is this company so successful? We had an interview with the founder of DMC Luxury, Greg Schoner.
How did DMC Luxury start?
I may say that DMC was started at rather humble beginnings. As a German from simple background, I had to claw my way up. I grew up in Hong Kong, which gave me not only a strong emersion in the Asian need for western luxury goods, but also equipped me with the understanding of both cultures. When I returned to Germany, it was clear that I should leverage this extensive knowledge to thrive in
the market segment that I loved most: Super Cars! Today, on top of DMC Luxury, I'm glad to run the hyper-exclusive supercar tuner which can proudly boast the world’s most VIP car collectors among its clients. Even though DMC was founded in
2009, it was only 2010 when we launched our first product, the Lamborghini Murcielago "QUATTRO VELOCE".
What kind of ambitions and ideas did you have when you started DMC Luxury?
It has not changed since the first day. Every morning when I enter the DMC premises, the one ambition that runs me is to make cars very fast and yet beautiful. It comes naturally that safety is the number one priority, so there’s no ambition without the necessary respect for responsibility! When I leave in the evenings, or late-nights, I always take a short look, back inside: I close the lights & doors with a big smile on my face, because I know I did something right. I never forgot how it’s like being a child, with a constant dream to conquer the world of cars, with one difference: I made that dream reality.
How would you explain the immense growth in the tuning/performance scene?
We have to be aware that all the growth and business we enjoy nowadays go back to a couple of visionaries like Hamann, who started in extremely difficult times. All tuners nowadays carry on this dream, and it’s our duty to maintain this German heritage! There's a lot of excellent tuners in the world, but wherever you go, people will tell you that German engineering and automobile history is one of the best in the world. We have to keep this in mind when developing new products, it’s not only about our own brand, it's about maintaining a global respect for our origins.
What made the popularity of DMC Luxury grow exponentially?
Even though our work is lead by passion and appreciation of art, we never forget that it’s a business that we have to run. This means that we carefully decide what markets to enter, whether it’s a niche, or non-existing at all. DMC was lucky to start in Lamborghini Refinement, at a time when there was no tuner doing it, or when the solutions that were out there from other tuners, were already 3-4 years old. Clients don't want old designs, so the "Quattro Veloce" was an immediate hit.
What is the ambition of DMC Luxury?
Everything we do, starts with passion and ends with dedication. We get the strength to do so, by the power of dreams. It's not easy to go to the top, or even to stay there, it takes a big chunk of effort and energy, and often takes sacrifices. But in the end, when you hand over the car to the client, or when you’re on one of the plenty global exhibitions and meet press, fans and owners, you know it’s the right thing to do, as it can be very rewarding.
How important is quality for DMC Luxury?
Quality is the base of our success. There's no business without quality, and it comes at the top of our requirements, even before design. DMC is a relatively small company, yet we are extremely strong. We are able to develop all parts inhouse, besides the performance package, which is developed by our suppliers. This is only possible because DMC is taking a different approach to business than other tuners when it comes to manufacturing. The magic word is outsourcing: Being based in Germany, we have a vast source of local manufacturers that can produce according to our requirements. DMC plays the role of engineering, the technical and aerodynamical base for all our projects. Yet when it comes to CNC'ing a part, we are not required to maintain a horde of workers, but can choose among 100s of excellent companies that can do it for us. Since all our work is done by computers and 3D scanning, all it takes is an email to one of the factories, with the attached 3D file. This makes it possible to operate a virtual production tree of 200 workers, with an own base of about ten engineers and designers.
How does DMC makes itself unique compared to other tuners?
The car industry traditionally is known as a dirty place. When we started the business, I was amazed to see that in 2009 companies still required you to cut into your car’s chassis to install one of their parts. We take a completely different approach. All parts are modular based, and either add-on or exchange for the OEM part. This way we can guarantee that car owners can revert their car to stock if it may become necessary in future. Another unique difference to other tuners is that we position DMC in the Luxury Segment. Building a brand is crucial, you can find our logo on many products we produce nowadays. We exhibit on TopMarques Monaco, show our cars outside of 5-Star hotels, it defines who we are. The product itself is not enough to differentiate yourself nowadays. We are not a part supplier, we sell passion and dedication. We don’t want to be a factory, we are a creative place, where cars are built as an object of art and engineering.
Tuning across the world
What are the most important markets for DMC Luxury?
Without a doubt, Asia and the Middle East.
Do you have any boundaries in terms of tuning?
Safety, Quality and Design, if these 3 requirements are met, there’s no boundaries, everything is possible.
Do you look up to other companies or do you see certain companies as a role model?
Hamann is my role model. He's the origin of our industry in my perception and he paved the ways to the industry we have today.
What do you think of when we talk about upcoming trends in the automotive world?
Battery Driven cars and Carbon Fiber.
Are there any threats for companies that are so specialized in tuning like DMC?
Luxury is a market that is resistant to bad economy, so as long companies like us follow the likes of Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton, maintain a good design with excellent quality, we should be on the safe side.
You have been introducing several bodykits for exclusive car manufactures. What can we expect in the future?
Like Apple's late Steve Jobs, I won't comment on future products, but you can be sure that it will exciting and awesome. Can’t beat teasers, can you?
Do you think that non-exclusive cars are an interesting market for tuners nowadays?
Absolutely, but it very much depends on your approach. If you see Aston Martin's Cygnet, you know that luxury can be extended to different areas, as long you keep to your roots.
What does DMC Luxury think of engine tuning? Is it something necessary or just an
interesting option for most cars?
Every body kit that DMC creates is a mean of aerodynamic stability for the strong performance kits that we offer. Interestingly however, our main markets usually do not opt in for the power package but go for the look only. If you ask if a Louis Vuitton bag has to be able to carry a lot of content, you'd surely deny, and we see a similar market situation for DMC as a Luxury Refiner. The quality of the "Haute CARture" becomes more important than the engine modification itself, but that may only apply
to DMC and likes that are active in the high-end car scene.
