News

Mercedes-Benz approved used vehicles raised its game at the CV Show by exhibiting five vehicles, selling twice as many and picking up more than 140 enquiries. The extra business came after buyers wanted sister vehicles to those being exhibited. Key to the success was the Evolution-branded 2003-registered Actros 2546 Megaspace. Sales manager Dale Slee sold three more Evolution-specced vehicles off the back of the stand vehicle during the course of the show.

The Evolution is upgraded with  bull bars, chrome grille, state-of-the-art sat-nav and entertainment systems, fridge and microwave. It is the first vehicle to receive this package. The alloy wheels on the ex-Hanbury Davies truck have been refurbished and it will be exhibited at Truckfest 2007 at Peterborough. Slee will make the Evolution, like the previously branded trucks - Predator and Vision - available on demand.

He has also sold sister vehicles to the Axor 1843. "We did better than last year," Slee says. "We challenged [sales executive] Steve Holbrook to sell a vehicle inside the first 20 minutes of the show, as he did last year. This year he sold three vehicles at the fleet dinner the night before the show. The five vehicles [at the show] raised £134,000. It doesn't pay for the stand at the show but the spin-offs we get will. We had 148 genuine inquiries from the stand," he says.

The other vehicles on the stand covered M-B's traditional markets. The Axor 1843LS 4x2 tractor was indicative of its  trade and export markets into South Africa, Malaysia, Asia and Jordan. Easily converted into left-hand drive, its manual transmission and basic electronic design lend themselves to overseas aftermarket conditions. The 53-plate would fetch £21,000 in the UK but with less prep work sells for less when shipped.

The other tractors were for UK operators. Two 6x2 products, an Axor 2543LS and an Actros 2544LS, are typical fleet-specification vehicles. The solitary van on the stand was the Vito 109 compact. We challenged a sales executive to sell a vehicle in the first 20 minutes of the show - he sold three vehicles at the fleet dinner the night before.