corporate profile
MERCEDEZ-BENZ VANS: BORN TO RUN
A fit line up of Mercedes-Benz Vans after being put through their paces at a recent drive day at Phillip Island.
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aximum availability – that’s the vision the vans team at Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific, and its German parent company The Daimler Group, strive to deliver for customers day in, day out. It is now reflected in updated branding for the van that carries the three-pointed star, with the tag line ‘Vans. Born to Run’.
Further to safety, Tarr reflects, ‘While we have access to the world’s most advanced vans in terms of safety and drive train technology, locally we are focused on delivering a competitive whole-of-life proposition to customers, because at the end of the day the bottom line is just as important as safety when choosing a van fleet.’
Diane Tarr, General Manager of Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia, explains, ‘We are in the business of providing tools of the trade that keep your business running at its peak. Put simply, that means providing vans you can depend on.’
To this point, impressive whole-of-life costs across the van range can come as a pleasant surprise to some customers; with the addition of things such as long service intervals (up to 30,000km/12 months), clever inbuilt systems such as ‘ASSYST’ (where Vito and Valente vans calculate oil-change intervals on a flexible basis according to the use of the vehicle) and ‘Agility’ (a finance product offering guaranteed future value), the total cost of ownership becomes very attractive. This is especially true for fleet customers, as lean whole-of-life costs start with preferential pricing for both large and small fleets.
The badge is synonymous with safety, so it comes as no surprise that Mercedes-Benz Vans continue to raise the safety benchmark in the light commercial vehicle segment. Later this year, their most popular selling van in the 3.5–8tonne segment, the Sprinter, will feature three firsts in the van market: • Crosswind Assist – keeps van safely on course during strong gusts of wind. • Collision Prevention Assist – alerts the driver if the van gets too close to other moving vehicles on the road ahead or to the end of a queue of traffic. • Blind Spot Assist – warns a driver who is about to change lanes if vehicles in the next lane are dangerously close. These car-like safety innovations are again about maximum availability, ensuring safer work environments for your most precious cargo – the driver. 82• •THE X THEAUSTRALIAN AUSTRALIANLOCAL LOCALGOVERNMENT GOVERNMENTYEARBOOK YEARBOOKEDITION EDITION21 21
Mercedes-Benz Vans is certainly one to watch. Awards for safety and all-round performance have been received on numerous occasions from independent bodies – most recently Delivery Magazine Van of the Year Award for the Sprinter, and, for the second year in a row, Delivery Magazine People Mover of the Year Award for the Valente. So, in keeping with their newest campaign message, if you want a fit fleet, be sure to consider Mercedes-Benz Vans.