Does Mercedes-Benz manufacture Brabus automobiles?

Brabus exists as an independent aftermarket Mercedes-Benz tuner, applying its performance and visual upgrades to new cars purchased by Brabus directly from Mercedes-Benz, or to customers' own cars. Founded in 1977, the Germany-based performance company regularly displays highly customized cars at auto shows around the world.

Brabus specializes in adding horsepower, torque and performance to any car in the Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach lineups, often paired with extensive interior and exterior customizations. The company offers a large catalog of individual parts as well as total conversions for popular late-model Mercedes-Benz cars such as the G-Class and S-Class Coupe.

Unlike some aftermarket performance companies that buy unfinished car chassis directly from automakers, all Brabus models start their life as production-spec cars as they left the factory. Mercedes-Benz and its parent company Daimler do not play a direct role in Brabus development or manufacturing, although most Brabus cars retain their original engines, albeit with some upgrades.