Construction Begins at Landmark Mercedes-Benz Sydney Dealership

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – July 2, 2009: Construction began today on what will become the harbour city’s flagship luxury car dealership.

The all-new Mercedes-Benz Sydney dealership, located on O’Riordan Street in Alexandria, is a $20 million dollar project commissioned by the German car brand’s Australian importer, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd.

Speaking at a brief ceremony held to mark the start of construction at the new facility’s site, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific, Mr Wolfgang D. Schrempp, was excited about the commencement of these building works.

“This is a major investment for our customers, our brand and the New South Wales economy,” said Schrempp.

“Even in these challenging economic times, we see it as a priority to provide only the best for our customers.

“Once complete this landmark dealership will be the ultimate environment for our customers to interact with our brand, our people, and our fascinating products, and will help ensure our customers’ experience with Mercedes-Benz is of the highest order,” said Schrempp.

The facility, which has a planned completion of early 2010, will boast a 17,000 square metres footprint, a stunning Autohaus showroom, luxurious customer facilities, and a state-of-the-art workshop with more than 30 workbays.

The undertaking of the new premiere dealership is another symbol of the increasing presence of Mercedes-Benz in Sydney and New South Wales. In the previous two years, Mercedes-Benz and its dealer network in NSW have invested in excess of $58 million dollars in retail facility developments.

“April saw the addition of Northside Star to the network, a new authorised Mercedes-Benz dealership to serve Sydney's north. And now this new facility will serve the heart of the harbour city,” said Schrempp.

“It’s abundantly evident that we don’t just seek to build the best cars in the world; we also seek to set the standard when it comes to the ultimate customer experience,” he said.

Mercedes-Benz sales continue to grow, with 1,437 new passenger cars and SUVs sold in May. This represented an increase of ten percent compared to the same month last year, an impressive result considering the Australian new vehicle market fell almost 15 percent. The positive sales trend for Mercedes-Benz is expected to continue with the August arrival of the highly anticipated all-new E-Class saloon and coupé.

The all-new Mercedes-Benz Sydney is situated at 43-47 O’Riordan Street Alexandria and is expected to be completed by mid-next year.