In the first full year since Mercedes-Benz Vans UK Ltd became a legal entity, the Brand continued to shine with a record-breaking eighth consecutive year of growth representing a 12% increase in total registrations, with 41,404 vehicles sold in 2017 – the first time that Mercedes-Benz has broken through the 40,000 van sales barrier in the UK.
Last year saw record levels of registrations, with best ever sales numbers posted in Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4, with standout results in March, May, June, and September; during the latter month, Mercedes-Benz Vans in the UK sold more vehicles than the domestic market of Germany, and any other market area in the world.
The vehicles themselves also reached record levels of sales, including the best ever year for Vito (up 25% from 2016), Sprinter van (up 3%), Vito Sport (up 49%) and Vito Taxi, which more than doubled the previous record from 2013.
New Mercedes-Benz Vans Dealer sites opened in Exeter, Ipswich and Nottingham this year, and the Brand continued to win awards in 2017, with eight top honours received including Van of the Year at the Commercial Fleet Awards, Most Reliable Manufacturer and Most Reliable Van at the FN50 Awards, Best Small Trades Van and Editor’s Choice at the Trade Van Driver Awards, and Minibus of the Year and 4×4 Panel Van of the Year at the VansA2Z Awards.
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS) also funded more vans than ever before with a record £356m lent in 2017; an increase of 19.5% over 2016, representing more than one in every three vans funded by MBFS.
More than 10,500 used and Approved Used vehicles were sold via the Mercedes-Benz Vans Dealer Network, including our newest franchised Dealer, Snows Group, who only opened the doors to Mercedes-Benz Van Centre Exeter in December. More than 1,000,000 servicing and R&M hours were spent across the entire nationwide Dealer Network, helping to keep businesses moving with out-of-hours work carried out, with over 17,000 Service Plans activated in 2017.
In addition to this, the Mercedes-Benz Vans UK ‘Give Back Programme’, believed to be a first in the industry, donated more than £20,000 of fundraised money to good causes and, perhaps more importantly, colleagues at Head Office gave more than 700 hours of their time to volunteer and make a difference to local and national charities.
Steve Bridge, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK Ltd, said: “What a year it has been for our Brand; we launched an online reservation fee website due to unprecedented demand for X-Class, we welcomed nearly 3,000 visitors to VanExperience Live, we launched our first UK Brand TV advert, we introduced MercedesPRO to our customers, we saw over 100,000 vans through our nationwide Dealer Network, and we continued to grow in a declining market.
“The list of achievements is quite incredible for 2017, but what it really means is that our customers have put their faith in us to help keep their businesses moving and that is key for us. We work so hard across Head Office and our nationwide Dealer Network to consistently deliver for our customers, and provide them with a holistic transportation solution – gone are our days of just being a manufacturer and mender of vehicles.
“This year will continue to be an exciting one with the launch of new Sprinter and working towards the launch of our electric vehicle range starting with eVito, as well as continued focus on MercedesPRO and providing our customers with the best solutions to keep their businesses moving. Once again I continue to be impressed by the hard work, dedication and commitment of our team of over 4,000 dedicated people and I am thankful to all of our customers for their continued trust in our products, services and people.”
