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Sprinter van steers Mercedes to another successful year

Posted by Sprinter
Feb 25, 2009
Mercedes, Sprinter, Sprinter Vans, Mercedes Van Rentals, Sprinter Rentals, Van Rentals
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Mercedes-Benz in Ireland have welcomed figures showing that 2008 was another successful year for Mercedes-Benz global van sales.

Despite the international downturn, Mercedes-Benz sold 287,205 vans worldwide, an achievement just marginally below the 2007 peak year figure of 289,073 units.

The Sprinter Van series made the largest contribution to total sales with 166,473 units sold – an increase on the previous year figure of 165,916 units.

Vito and Viano sales were stable at 98,466 units, a reduction of less than 1% on the previous year.

Commenting, Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Sales Manager Fergus Conheady said ‘released in a month when Mercedes-Benz in Ireland topped the heavy commercial vehicles sales league, these figures demonstrate the demand that exists for Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles in world markets, even in the current economic climate.’

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The flood of cheap, new vehicles onto the market is not doing the industry any favours, only satisfying manufacturers’ need to keep their factories working, says Graham Neagus at Lloyds Autolease. Neagus, head of the company’s specialist commercial vehicle unit, says: “There’s a distressed selling of vehicles that stems from a need by manufacturers to feed a hungry monster .”
Yet this potential flooding of the market, which can damage LCV owners’ residuals, does not necessarily take into account customers’ needs. “It pays to choose the right asset at the front end for the job that’s needed, what [manufacturers] have parked in fields awaiting sale doesn’t necessarily meet the criteria of what’s best for the individual client,” he says.
Neagus says the economic climate has seen a downgrading in fleets’ buying habits, who are reassessing their requirements. “One of the biggest things we get involved in is fleet optimisation, where we sweat the asset to the max. For instance, you may have someone who’s always had Mercedes Sprinter panel vans, but once you look at the actual use, they might be able to get away with a long wheelbase Vito. That scores well not just on price, but on fuel economy.
“For example, we have a client that recently changed 170 Volkswagen Transporters to Caddy Maxi: over four years the company is saving £1m as well as reducing its CO2 footprint by 800 tonnes.”
This downscaling can also be seen further up the vehicle size range. “A number of people are moving down from 7.5-tonners to large panel vans [6.5-tonne]. It’s becoming more cost-effective,” he says.
“If you look at forward cab enquiries, Mitsubishi-Fuso Canters and Isuzus are now interesting to people who would previously buy a 7.5-tonne Atego, or something similar.” There’s been a change is leasing habits, with more firms looking to extend their deals, while lease-back agreements are increasing as companies look to free up cash.
“People are reappraising their contract lengths. For example, where someone may have had a three-year contract they’re now asking themselves if they need to replace it. Though lease-back agreements still account for a fairly small proportion overall, they’re also one of the fastest growing.
“The credit squeeze is forcing companies of all sizes to examine the value wrapped up in their assets and seek ways to release it without compromising operational efficiency,” Neagus concludes.