Mercedes reveals admiration for mobile phone upgrade blueprint

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013

The principle of continual upgrade and replacement as seen with mobile phone contracts is one Mercedes-Benz UK’s van sales and marketing director Steve Bridge is eyeing.

The company showcased its new Citan light van at the CV Show, and is now looking for growth in order to fulfill its ambition of overtaking VW to become the UK’s second-biggest LCV brand after Ford.

“If you look at phones, after 18 months you’re due an upgrade,” said Bridge. “To try and do that is not beyond the wit of man, it’s just not an overnight light switch task.”
He said the car and van industry had got into the habit of three-year cycles, usually revolving around warranty and mileage and residual value calculations to get the holding and capital costs. “Provided the holding cost is right for the customer, why does it have to be three years?” he asked. “Why can’t you change customers into a new vehicle when the time is right for them, not when the time is right for outside influences; that’s an education, changing years of culture.”

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