What Car?, the UK’s biggest car buyer’s guide, has named Mercedes-Benz the winner of its 2010 prize for best safety innovation for the ATTENTION ASSIST feature, which is designed to combat overtiredness in drivers – one of the most frequent causes of accidents. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class also took home the Car of the Year Award for best buy in the luxury segment for the fourth time in succession.
The most important source of independent information for car buyers in the UK, found Mercedes-Benz’s ATTENTION ASSIST feature exceptionally clever and presented the Stuttgart-based carmaker with its 2010 Car of the Year Safety Award as a result. During a test, British consumer testers were shocked by how drivers almost imperceptibly have difficulty keeping the vehicle on track when they are overtired. In practical trials, the innovative ATTENTION ASSIST driver support system was found to help combat this problem.
Like in Germany, driver fatigue is one of the most common causes of accidents in the UK. Overtiredness is a factor in a quarter of all motorway accidents. ATTENTION ASSIST, which comes as standard on all new Mercedes-Benz E-Class models, monitors over 70 parameters relating to driving behaviour to recognise when a driver is tired. If the system detects signs of fatigue, it warns the driver to take a break by means of an audible signal and a message on the display in the instrument cluster.
Other active safety features on the E-Class include Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Speed Limit Assist, the PRE-SAFE® Brake which initiates partial or emergency braking automatically if there is an acute risk of a head-to-tail collision, and DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control.
These driver assistance systems are also available on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, setting the standard in the luxury class. This year the UK’s consumer organisation for car buyers, What Car?, acknowledged the S-Class’s special position and again awarded the top model from Stuttgart its Car of the Year award in the luxury class for the fourth time in a row.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the best car in the upper executive segment, while the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the best sports car. These are the results of a reader survey conducted by one of Germany’s well-known specialist car magazines, “auto motor und sport”. The E-Class and SLS have therefore both walked away with the title “Best car of 2010”.
The editorial team of “auto motor und sport” asked readers to vote on some 326 vehicles across ten categories, and no fewer than 96,784 respondents answered the call to cast their votes in the traditional reader survey to find the best cars of the year. This is the thirty-fourth time that the respected specialist publication has conducted the survey.
In the upper executive segment, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class emerged victorious against the competition to claim its crown as “The best car of 2010”. In awarding this honour, the readers acknowledged the special position enjoyed by the E-Class as the most successful business saloon. Among its many features, it benefits from a dynamic design, innovative technology, exemplary comfort, and also a high degree of economic efficiency. It also comes with a unique combination of driver assistance systems, including for example ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection, Adaptive Highbeam Assist, and DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control together with PRE-SAFE Brake, which automatically applies emergency braking if there is an acute risk of an accident.
In the case of the sports car, the readers of “auto motor und sport” placed the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in pole position, thereby honouring the new gullwing model as the best car of 2010 in its category, and as such paying tribute to both its uniquely exciting design as well its advanced technology. The super sports car excels with its uncompromising lightweight construction, superior driving dynamics and exemplary safety. These attributes are ensured by a unique technology package consisting of a lightweight aluminium spaceframe body, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid-engine with dry sump lubrication producing 420 kW (571 hp), seven-speed double-declutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and a sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones. This combination guarantees dynamic performance at the very highest level. The gullwing model accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has a top speed of 317 km/h.
Four Mercedes-Benz models have the lowest depreciation in their segment, and can justifiably call themselves the “Value retention champions 2010” – the E, C, S and R-Class. These are the findings of analyses carried out each year by the Saarbrücken-based market research institute Bähr & Fess Forecast on behalf of the motoring magazine “Auto Bild”. Mercedes-Benz vehicles are therefore generally have the highest value retention, and offer a significant economic advantage.
According to the residual value forecasts of the market researchers, the new E-Class will be the saloon with the highest resale value of all large coupés when it is four years old. The E 250 CDI will still command 55.5 percent of its current new value.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has emerged the winner of the largest vote to establish Germany’s most popular car by a wide margin. In recognition of this, the motoring organisation ADAC has now presented this public favourite from Stuttgart with the coveted “Yellow Angel 2010” award. These awards, which are named after the ADAC’s friendly breakdown assistance personnel, were presented today at the Allerheiligen Church in Munich in the presence of the Federal German President, Horst Köhler, and invited guests from the business and political world.
This is the sixth time that the ADAC has presented the “Yellow Angel” awards – also known as the “Oscars of the automobile industry” – for outstanding performance. Consumers have come to appreciate this seal of approval as a valuable buying guide, as the award criteria not only include design and image, but also the price/value ratio, practicality, economy, safety and environmental compatibility.
The contenders were 47 vehicles that had been newly launched in 2009. Around 19 million readers of “ADAC Motorwelt”, as well as visitors to the Club’s homepage and the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA), were requested to cast their votes in Germany’s largest car survey. In the vote for Germany’s most popular car they gave first place to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class by a wide margin. This result was duly rewarded with the “Yellow Angel 2010” by Europe’s largest automobile club. This success by Mercedes-Benz was rounded off by a second place in the “Most popular brand” category.
The E-Class embodies fundamental values such as safety, comfort and quality in an exemplary manner. A market share in the premium business saloon segment of around 60 percent in Germany and 40 percent in Western Europe underlines the exceptional status of the E-Class. Last year Mercedes-Benz sold more than 200,000 cars worldwide in the E-Class segment.
Since its market launch in March 2009, the E-Class has made a huge impression with its dynamic design, innovative technology, exemplary comfort and outstanding economy. This is in large measure due to ten efficient petrol and diesel engines with outputs ranging from 100 to 386 kW (136 to 525 hp). The E-Class is also equipped with a unique combination of driver assistance systems such as drowsiness detection, Adaptive Highbeam Assist and proximity control with automatic emergency braking in conjunction with the PRE-SAFE® Brake, which is activated when an acute accident risk is detected. What’s more, the E-Class offers outstanding long-distance comfort. These traits are shared by the other members of the successful premium car family – the E-Class Coupé, the E-Class Estate and the E-Class Cabriolet, which has recently celebrated its world premiere.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has already won numerous awards confirming its exceptional status:
In addition, the independent market research institute Bähr & Fess Forecast has determined that the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class will have the highest value retention of any luxury segment model series, with the highest resale value after three years. This once again confirms the high value retention of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID, the B 180 NGT and the smart mhd (micro hybrid drive) are the most environmentally friendly automobiles in their class. These are the findings from extensive analyses conducted by the independent experts at the internationally well-known environmental institute Öko-Trend.
As an institute for environmental research, Öko-Trend has developed criteria for the objective evaluation of the environmental compatibility of consumer goods. The experts at this neutral institute apply high standards during the assessment of automobiles. The Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID, the B 180 NGT and the smart mhd (micro hybrid drive) have achieved results that are well above the average. In the view of the Institute, they not only deliver excellent results in terms of fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and noise, but also excel by virtue of environmentally compatible production, choice of materials and logistics. They also feature particularly environmentally compatible systems such as a start/stop function and hybrid or natural gas drive.
In the assessment of these experts, the Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID is the most environmentally compatible car in the luxury class. With its combination of a 205 kW (279 hp) six-cylinder petrol engine and a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor, plus an automatic start/stop function, this premium saloon has a fuel consumption of just 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres. It therefore demonstrates that even in the luxury class, environmental protection is by no means an alien concept.
In the ranking by CARB (California Air Resources Board), regarding the Global Warming Potential, theS 400 HYBRID also performed outstandingly with nine of the ten maximum points. Accordingly CARB has given the premium saloon a top place in its list of buying recommendations for environmentally efficient automobiles.
Inthe analysis by the environmental institute Öko-Trend in the Compact Vans category the Mercedes-Benz B 180 NGT with bifuel drive achieved the highest ranking as the most environmentally compatible model. This natural gas variant of the B-Class lowers fuel consumption, emissions and fuel costs.
The smart fortwo mhd (micro hybrid drive) convertible was the winner in the Convertible/Roadster category according to the stringent environmental criteria of the Eco-Institute. The automatic start/stop function switches the engine off when the driver brakes and the vehicle speed falls below 8 km/h. It is restarted in fractions of a second when the driver takes his foot off the brake pedal again. This makes fuel savings of up to 20 percent possible in city traffic.
The “Öko-Trend Institute for Environmental Research” founded by the University of Wuppertal has already been publishing research results about the environmental compatibility of car models since 1997 (www.oeko-trend.de).
The new SLS AMG is to receive an internationally renowned design award, the “iF product design award 2010”. The iF product design award was first presented in 1953, and ranks among the most important design awards of all. The 24-member jury chose 778 entries from around 2500 candidates in 16 categories; the SLS was up against numerous well-known competitors in the “Transportation Design” category.
“This sought-after award for the new SLS AMG is a great honour for us. It also reflects the extremely positive feedback on the design of the SLS that we have been receiving since the September world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main,” says Prof. Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz.
All winners of the iF product design award are entitled to use the sought-after iF label for the entire lifecycle of the product receiving the award. The award ceremony is traditionally held on the first day of the CeBIT fair in Hanover: on 2 March 2010 the winners of the iF gold awards for outstanding design performance will also be announced. From then on, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will also be on display until August 2010 as part of a design exhibition which the organisers expect around 250,000 visitors from all over the world to attend. All the award winners can also be viewed in detail at www.ifdesign.de
Breathtaking design with high captivation potential
The distinctive styling of the new SLS AMG enthrals with its passionate sportiness and reinterprets the breathtaking lines of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL – one of the outstanding design icons of the Mercedes-Benz brand. With its purist design the new SLS reflects the philosophy of contemporary sports car engineering: the bonnet which measures just under two metres, the low greenhouse positioned well to the rear and the short rear end with an extendable aerofoil are just as powerful a reminder of the superlative dynamism as the long wheelbase, the wide track and the large wheels. The short overhangs feed through into the proportions, as does the design of the super sports car with its low-slung front-mid-engine set well back and dual-clutch transmission in transaxle configuration. An undoubted styling highlight comes courtesy of the swing-wing doors, which lend the SLS AMG its incomparable charisma – making a unique statement in this vehicle segment.
This coveted design award is not the first for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: the Gullwing model was also victorious in the “Golden Steering Wheel 2009”, “Auto Trophy 2009” and “TOPauto 2010” awards.
No fewer than 150 motoring journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were asked by the Motorinformationsdienst (mid) (Motor Vehicle Information Service) to cast their votes and use their expertise to decide on the top cars of 2010, choosing from among 80 passenger cars in 8 different categories.
In the “business” category, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate took top honours by quite a significant margin. The premium lifestyle estate has caused a great deal of excitement since its launch with its distinct, dynamic and at the same time elegant design, and also sets new standards in safety, comfort, quality, economy and functionality. In addition it also provides a unique combination of technical innovations in this vehicle class – from drowsiness detection to automatic emergency braking when an accident is recognised as imminent, and from Adaptive Highbeam Assist to the active bonnet. On top of all this there is also air suspension with self-levelling at the rear as standard, as well as some innovative new features in terms of the functionality of the luggage compartment.
This area can also accommodate an optional third row of seats, something unique among the competition.
The new Gullwing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG also moved effortlessly into first place in its “luxury” category. Its exciting design featuring the gullwing doors harks back to that sporting legend of the 1950’s – the 300 SL. The new super sports car also dazzles with its exquisite technology which includes such highlights as: aluminium spaceframe body shell, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front mid engine with dry sump lubrication as well as a maximum power of 420 kW (571 hp) and 650 Nm of torque, seven-speed double-clutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and a sports suspension with aluminium double-wishbone axles.
This high-tech combination helps to guarantee the highest level of driving dynamics.
Being voted the top cars of 2010 is not the first time that both Mercedes-Benz vehicles have picked up an award. The SLS AMG has won the 2009 Auto
Over 50,000 readers of German car magazine Auto Bild Sportscars have chosen the new E 63 AMG as the best sports saloon. In the “Sports Car of the Year” poll, the AMG high-performance car won a resounding victory ahead of its nearest rival in the “Production Saloons” category. The award ceremony took place this evening at the Essen Motor Show as part of the Auto Bild “Race Night”.
32.3 percent of the Auto Bild Sportscars readers voted for the E 63 AMG, putting the sports saloon some eleven percent ahead of the second-placed model in a resounding victory over the competition. The “Sports Car of the Year” award is presented annually; before being nominated for the award, the candidates had to take part in comparison tests at the Contidrom proving ground. “The nature of the victory achieved by the E 63 AMG in the readers’ poll reflects the pleasing level of acceptance across all markets. The E 63 AMG marks the addition of another exciting high-performance car to the line-up, continuing AMG’s long-standing tradition in this key segment,” says Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Outstanding driving dynamics and unique design
The powerful AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 386 kW (525 hp) with a peak torque of 630 Nm, the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission, and the newly developed AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension with electronically controlled damping and a new front axle ensure that the E 63 AMG delivers outstanding driving dynamics. An AMG ceramic high-performance composite brake system is available as an option. Mercedes-AMG has rigorously implemented a raft of efficiency-enhancing measures to reduce fuel consumption by almost twelve percent compared to the previous model. A unique combination of innovative driver assistance systems enables the E 63 AMG to extend its lead in the safety stakes. Compared to the standard Mercedes-Benz E-Class models, the flagship AMG model differs by virtue of its unique exterior and interior design.
The E 63 AMG is available in either Saloon or Estate guise. The basic price is € 105,791 or € 108,409 for the Saloon and Estate respectively (incl. 19 % VAT in each case). While the E 63 AMG Saloon has been available since August 2009, the E 63 AMG Estate is scheduled for launch in February 2010.
The readers of the Diners Club Magazine have elected the Mercedes E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY as the “Car of the year with the best power-to-economy ratio”. Thanks to its state-of-the-art diesel technology, the 150-kW/204-hp engine burns just 5.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres on the combined NEDC cycle. This equates to 139 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
Andreas Friedrich, chief engineer for the new Mercedes E-Class, was on hand to accept the Diners Club Magazine award at a gala ceremony held on 12 November in Munich’s GOP Varieté Theatre. “The E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY is the proof that ecology and driving pleasure do not have to be mutually exclusive. The engine summons up more power from a smaller displacement while achieving the sort of fuel consumption figures previously only associated with the compact class,” remarked Friedrich. “The model’s exemplary efficiency is further enhanced by its exceptional aerodynamics, which make the E-Class the world’s most streamlined saloon.”
It is not just the readers of the Diners Club Magazine who are impressed by the new E-Class: it is highly popular with customers around the world and the market leader in its segment. Following the launch of the Saloon and Coupé, the third body variant – the Estate – is just arriving in dealer showrooms. All three are available in the E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY version.
At EuroCarBody, the world’s largest car body benchmarking conference, a jury made up of about 400 conference delegates and board members voted the E-Class as the car with the best bodyshell. A total of nine new series-production bodies were presented in detail and scrutinised at the EuroCarBody event held in Bad Nauheim, Germany at the end of October. The candidates included the Jaguar XJ, Audi R8 spyder and BMW 5 Series GT.
“We are delighted to receive this award. EuroCarBody is after all the foremost conference for car body experts worldwide, meaning that it attracts top-ranking delegates,” explains Dr. Jörg Langner, who heads the Detachable Front End Body Parts team at Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “Plus, it means we have come full circle: seven years ago, the previous E-Class model was crowned the winner of the first ever EuroCarBody Award, which has been presented annually ever since.”
The model series owes its triumph primarily to the top results it secured in the two voting categories “Customer value” and “Innovative process, production and plant concepts”. As for all other product characteristics, the bodyshell forms a foundation here on which the experts from the other specialist disciplines build. Dr. Langner analyses the result as follows: “It wasn’t a particular innovation which clinched it, but the harmonious overall concept.” In the “Customer value” category, for instance, the jury rewarded the exemplary safety concept and comfort level in the E-Class and its outstanding aerodynamics. For all these qualities the bodyshell is the most important element.
The active bonnet is just one of many features which illustrate how development of the E-Class body focused on customer value at all times. It reduces the risk of injury to pedestrians as well as offering E-Class owners a further crucial benefit: the active bonnet has a reversible design. So, if it is triggered by a minor parking bump, for example, Mercedes customers can simply return the bonnet to its original position – reactivating the system in the process – then continue with their journey.
“Our customer-focused approach is plain to see in the production concept for the Mercedes E-Class too,” points out Stefan Tritschler, Project Manager for Body Manufacture. “Guaranteeing supreme quality from the outset results in the ultimate in customer value.” This is made possible by sophisticated manufacturing and quality assurance methods. Besides the customary quality assurance measures, process monitoring procedures are employed for all joining operations to safeguard quality during each and every manufacturing step. The state-of-the-art RobScan robot-guided laser welding process, for example, is likewise subject to 100% monitoring. This new welding technology not only achieves a very high welding speed, it produces welding seams of the highest quality. During manufacture of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class body, RobScan welding is employed first and foremost for the doors, sidewalls and rear-end centre assembly.
The Stuttgart-based automobile manufacturer Daimler AG has won four first places in the Europe-wide survey to decide the 2009 Internet Auto Awards. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class was voted Europe’s most popular van, for which it received the “Carolina” Trophy. The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG took first place in the online vote for the most popular new product at this year’s Frankfurt International Motor Show. The editors of AutoScout24 declared “e-mobility Berlin” with the smart electric drive to be the best environmental initiative – the first large-scale project for urban electro-mobility. The best innovation was the SPLITVIEW technology that now enables the driver and front passenger to see different displays on one and the same screen at the same time.
For the eighth time AutoScout24, Germany’s best-known online automobile market-place, conducted an online survey to establish Europe’s most popular cars and the best automobile-related ideas. In the “Vans and Compact Vans” category, the majority of the more than 250,000 users gave first place to the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. This year 331 models in nine vehicle categories competed for Europe’s largest public awards in the automobile sector.
In voting the Mercedes-Benz B-Class the most popular van, the participants above all acknowledged the fact that it combines the advantages of different vehicle concepts: this four-door model has the dynamic design of a sports saloon, the exterior dimensions of a compact car, the spaciousness of an estate car and the variability of a minivan.
The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was the undisputed No. 1 attraction at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. This is shown by an online public survey conducted in connection with the show by AutoScout24. By a wide margin, the new Gullwing model was voted the most popular among 27 new product presentations. This means that immediately after its world premiere, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has received its first sought-after award in the form of the Carolina Trophy.
The editors of AutoScout24 voted the project “e-mobility Berlin” with the smart electric drive the best environmental initiative. In cooperation with RWE and with the support of the federal German government and the city of Berlin, Daimler AG is currently creating the conditions for locally emission-free driving under battery-electric power in the German capital. Equipped with the innovative, highly efficient lithium-ion battery, more than 100 electric cars with environmentally friendly drive units will be on the roads as part of this project. The cars Daimler is using are the smart fortwo electric drive and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class with electric drive. Deliveries of the first vehicles will commence at the end of this year.
In the special category “Best Innovation”, for which an award was also presented by the editors of AutoScout24, Mercedes-Benz also took first place with the new SPLITVIEW technology. This system available in the S-Class enables the driver and front passenger to see two different displays on the same screen at the same time. While the driver is e.g. following the navigation instructions, the front passenger can be watching a film on the same screen.
According to the latest J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Germany VOSS Study, Mercedes-Benz ranks best among the premium brands in the “Service Satisfaction” category. In total, 16,283 drivers in Germany were polled, during which they were asked to evaluate service consultant friendliness, service facility conditions, and the thoroughness of work performed. After tallying the results, Mercedes ranked first among premium brands, and fourth overall.
According to Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars: “We’re very pleased with our good performance in this informative study. The result shows us that customers really appreciate the commitment our people bring to the job every day, as well as our staff’s ongoing enthusiasm for the Mercedes-Benz brand and our long term-oriented quality concept.”
One can call the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class many things, but naming it “the best looking car in the world” is, by any stretch of the imagination, certainly wishful thinking. How, you ask, was it determined that the new E-Class is the best looking car in the world? I’m glad you asked.
First, the German publication AUTO BILD asked its readers to vote for the best looking car in each of five categories, with the prerequisite being that all of the vehicles must have made their debut in the last year. Then, some 100,000 readers responded, voting the 2010 E-Class Coupe winner in the “Coupe and Cabriolet” category and bestowing the 2010 E-Class sedan with top honors in the overall ranking. Based on this highly scientific, one-hundred percent definitive study, Daimler arrived at the only conclusion that one could derive from a study of this type: that the E-Class business saloon is “the most attractive new car in the world.”
And that’s all there is to it. After more than a hundred years of automotive engineering, this is it, ladies and gentlemen – the crowning achievement of automotive design excellence. So if you’re considering a new E-Class, rest easy, because should you procure one, you can tell the world you’re driving the best looking in the world (or at least you can think you are).
For the fifth time in succession, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog has been voted the best off-road vehicle of the year in the “special-purpose vehicles” category by readers of the special-interest magazine OFF ROAD. The “Off-roader of the Year 2009 – Special-purpose vehicles category” award was made on the basis of a vote covering vehicles in eight categories in the December edition of this venerable Munich-based off-roader magazine. The OFF ROAD obelisk was recently presented during a ceremonial gala evening at the Munich theatre pavilion “Das Schloss”. More than 44,000 readers took part in the vote between the 92 vehicles concerned. The Unimog won first place in the special-purpose category with an outstanding 42.3 % of the votes.
The categories for the readers’ vote were “Off-road vehicles”, “Luxury off-road vehicles”, “Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)”, “Luxury SUVs”, “Classics”, “Pick-ups”, “Special-purpose vehicles” and “Crossovers”. The Unimog was clearly ahead of the field among the special-purpose vehicles – off-road capable vehicles used to carry loads and goods to remote areas, or as a platform for special-purpose bodies such as firefighting, expedition and military vehicles. Characteristic product attributes such as outstanding off-road capabilities with portal axles, and enormous torsional flexibility combined with great robustness and solidity, were particularly praised.
The all-terrain Unimog series U 3000 to U 5000, which has been produced in Wörth since autumn 2002, is ideal for difficult off-road assignments well away from the beaten track and road. Its main areas of application are with the firefighting services – especially for forest fires – disaster relief services, expedi tions and servicing/maintenance work in areas where access is difficult. Accordingly the Unimog models U 3000, U 4000 and U 5000 ideally complement the vehicles in the U 300 to U 500 series – off-road-capable implement carriers which are mainly encountered working in the municipal services, with municipal contractors, in the construction and energy sectors, in in-company transport and in dual (road/rail) operations. The youngest addition to the Unimog family is the compact Unimog U 20, launched in 2008.
The magazine OFF-ROADhas held its Off-roader of the Year readers’ vote since 1982.
If you’re in the mood for a little boasting on the part of Daimler, then you’re in luck my friends, as the company today has announced that their Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles are Germany’s most popular commercial vehicle brand. The news comes after an Emnid study commissioned by the weekly specialist magazine Verkehrs-Rundschau, during which Mercedes-Benz took top place in three of the seven categories: “Trucks,” “Vans,” and “Hire/Leasing.”
To arrive at their findings, Emnid polled a total of 400 fleet managers in transport, freight, industry and trade about the image of the most important commercial vehicle providers and about products and services for the commercial vehicle fleet. The reason for doing so, according to the Verkehrs-Rundschau study, is that because of those polled, over 75 percent would never or only exceptionally purchase commercial vehicles, products or services from a provider with a poor image.
Apparently, as is the case with celebrities, politicians and exotic dancers, image is everything in the world of commercial vehicles.
For more info regarding Mercedes-Benz victory in the Verkehrs-Rundschau-commissioned Emnid study, keep reading for the official press release.