• Mercedes-Benz Certified: used Mercedes-Benz trucks in premium condition
• 12- or 24-month drivetrain warranty valid throughout Europe
• Vehicles checked by Mercedes-Benz outlets to assure top quality
• First Mercedes-Benz Certified truck received by customer in Austria
• Offer available throughout Europe from the first quarter of 2021
• Andreas von Wallfeld, Head of Marketing, Sales and Services for Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “We are offering our customers our full commitment to quality.”

Stuttgart / Laarkirchen, Austria – Premium quality is not only a hallmark of new vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Trucks. Used Mercedes-Benz trucks also continue to meet the highest standards. From now on, the very best of them will carry the Mercedes-Benz Certified label. “In introducing the Mercedes-Benz Certified seal we are enhancing the profile of our used vehicle business and offering our customers our full commitment to quality,” explains Andreas von Wallfeld, Head of Marketing, Sales and Services for Mercedes-Benz Trucks.

The label will only be given to Mercedes-Benz trucks that are no more than five years old and have a maximum of 500,000 kilometres on the clock. The Mercedes-Benz Certified authentication also provides an assurance that these vehicles will require no maintenance for at least three months or for 20,000 km (for trucks up to 12 tonnes permissible gross vehicle weight) or 30,000 km (over 12 tonnes) and are not due for any statutory vehicle tests within that period. Furthermore, the tyres of all certified trucks will have a tread depth of at least six millimetres. One integral element of the quality commitment is a 12-month warranty covering the drivetrain. This is valid throughout Europe with no mileage restriction and no excess. Certain models will even qualify for a 24-month drivetrain warranty.

The first customer to purchase one of the certified used trucks was Jaritz Transport GmbH. From its inception, the Klagenfurt-based company has specialised in cold chain logistics, particularly temperature-controlled transportation. “We transport perishable goods throughout Austria and beyond for a number of food companies in the food retail trade and cash and carry business. Consequently, we cannot afford breakdowns. This makes it really important for us to have high-quality, reliable refrigerated vehicles. We've been relying on used trucks from Mercedes-Benz for some years now,” says Robert Jaritz, managing director at Jaritz Transport. The company has now chosen a Mercedes-Benz Antos 1833 with a refrigerated body and tail lift. And there is a very positive feeling around it, as Jaritz points out: “By introducing the Mercedes-Benz Certified label, the manufacturer is making a clear statement about its commitment to quality. As customers, we get complete certainty about the condition of the vehicle we’re buying. At the same time, the drivetrain warranty gives us a safeguard for the next twelve months,” Jaritz explains. In cold chain logistics above all, predictable costs and a minimum risk of breakdown are fundamental criteria for maintaining a competitive presence in the market. “That’s why we will continue to purchase Mercedes-Benz Used Trucks from the Voralpenkreuz TruckStore,” the company boss says.

New in the truck segment: used trucks with the right to exchange

Another new introduction is the 14-day right to exchange for vehicles with the Mercedes-Benz Certified label that are registered in the EU. If a customer is not satisfied with their chosen vehicle they can go back to the dealer and exchange it during the two-week period. Certain charges may be incurred in connection with the exchange – for the mileage covered prior to returning the vehicle, for example.

“It’s what our customers expect of us as premium providers. With the wide range of used trucks we have, our aim is to be able to offer each and every customer a truck that’s going to meet their needs down to the finest detail – that applies to used truck sales just as it does to new trucks. This is a very attractive package in the truck segment and it serves to reinforce our premium position in the market,” says Ulrich Loebich, Head of Used Truck Sales at Mercedes-Benz Trucks.

Mercedes-Benz Certified will supersede the current gold, silver and bronze grading system and will be available first in Austria and then from March 2021 in all TruckStore countries. During the first half of 2021, the label will eventually also be available from selected partners in the Mercedes-Benz Truck dealer network.

10 questions for...

Andreas von Wallfeld, Head of Marketing, Sales and Services at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, interviewed about the features of Mercedes-Benz Certified, the benefits for the customer and the significance of the used vehicle business to the company.

1. Mr von Wallfeld, what is special about the Mercedes-Benz Certified quality commitment?

“All Mercedes-Benz Certified trucks have to pass technical tests carried out to the same consistently high standard by our own outlets or Mercedes-Benz authorised workshops before they can be given the label. After all, no one knows our vehicles better than we and our service outlets do. The customer gets a used truck from us with attractive terms, one which has the same level of performance as a new model from its technology generation. That’s why we can confidently offer a 12- or 24-month drivetrain warranty.”

2. How do you guarantee the technical quality of the used truck that’s awarded the Certificate?

“To qualify for the label of prestige, the used trucks have to undergo an extensive health check at an authorised workshop or service outlet. This is equivalent in scope to normal Mercedes-Benz servicing. If any repairs or maintenance are due they are carried out to the high standards of Mercedes-Benz.”

3. Will you still sell trucks without the label?

“Yes. These vehicles are also rigorously tested. And the best part is, even if these vehicles don’t have the Mercedes-Benz Certified label, we still offer selected used vehicles up to eight years old and 800,000 kilometres on the clock with a six-month warranty.”

4. What significance does the used vehicle business have for Mercedes-Benz Trucks?

“The business in used trucks is very important to us. There are several reasons for this: a robust sales network for used vehicles gives the vehicle operator a high residual value at the end of the period of use. A high residual value means low operating costs for the customer. Customers want to safeguard the residual value and so at the time of purchase they can already enter into an agreement for us to take back the vehicle later at a fixed price, which we call buy-back arrangements. Alternatively, they can trade in their used truck in part exchange for the new one. In which case they also benefit from high residual values.”

5. So customers buying new vehicles also benefit from high demand for used Mercedes-Benz trucks?

“That’s correct. Customers who buy, finance or lease new trucks from Mercedes-Benz benefit from the high value retention Mercedes-Benz vehicles are known for. This is reflected in attractive leasing instalments and finance terms. Or else they command a high resale price.”

6. Which customers choose used trucks?

“Customers in the used truck market include owner-drivers, vehicle fleets belonging to small or medium-sized companies, and even some large fleets.”

7. What are their reasons for preferring used trucks to new vehicles?

“For all their differences, these customers have one thing in common: they are all money smart. Used trucks from Mercedes-Benz offer fleet managers a particularly good cost-benefit ratio. But more than anything, they provide them with a high level of planning certainty. Operating costs can be calculated very accurately as all the cost factors are already known. Used trucks from Mercedes-Benz also offer a high level of maturity, they’re exceptionally robust and are marketed in a package with attractive services such as finance agreements and service contracts.”

8. Where can customers buy trucks with the Mercedes-Benz Certified label?

“Up to now, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has sold used trucks predominantly through the manufacturer’s own TruckStore network, but these vehicles are going to be available through the Mercedes-Benz dealership network as well as from the TruckStores, with the roll-out due to start in the European markets in the spring of 2021.”

9. Why are you including the dealer network in the offer?

“Customers from the transport sector place a high value on having a local contact. Together, the TruckStores and the dealer network combine to give us even more complete coverage than before. Including dealerships in the used vehicle business gives us even greater proximity to our customers.”

10. Does the new sales strategy also have advantages for the dealers?

“Yes, participating dealers can also use the standardised Mercedes-Benz Certified quality commitment as a persuasive sales argument and it will help them to meet customer expectations even more fully. And as I mentioned, for the dealer, a successful used vehicle business is also valuable in supporting sales of new vehicles. As a result, the dealers are very receptive to the introduction of Mercedes-Benz Certified.

TruckStore is Europe’s biggest dealership for used truck sales

TruckStore is responsible for the used truck business within Daimler Truck AG with a major emphasis on the Mercedes-Benz brand. With 24 locations in 13 European countries, TruckStore is Europe’s biggest dealership for buying and selling used trucks. There is a further site in South Africa. The international TruckStore network allows customers easy online access to a unique pool of used trucks of all brands, age categories and model versions. The vehicles available for sale are presented on www.truckstore.com with photos, prices and detailed descriptions in multiple languages. The German TruckStore network currently comprises six locations: Bremen, Berlin-Brandenburg (Königs Wusterhausen), the Ruhr (Recklinghausen), Erfurt, Köngen und Munich. Further details are available at www.truckstore.com.

TruckStore provides the same high standard of quality across the whole of Europe. A single consistent rating system across Europe ensures transparency in terms of age, condition and mileage. This is supplemented by the service component, a comprehensive range of services encompassing financing, leasing, the TruckStore warranty and buy-back agreement at the time of purchase. In the case of any damage, the Warranty Claim Centre can be accessed 24/7.