17 May 2010

Zwartkop, Pretoria - Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd (MBSA) will again be supporting the annual NAMPO event in Bothaville, Free State, running from 18 to 21 May 2010. This is the largest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere and provides a unique opportunity to exhibit the company’s vast range of market-leading vehicles to the agricultural community.

“MBSA has consistently supported this event over the last 30 years simply because we enjoy a large, loyal customer base among the farmers of South Africa,” says MBSA President and CEO, Dr Hansgeorg Niefer.

“With well over 60 300 visitors over the four-day show period last year, this year’s show is bound to enjoy a good turnout, despite the economic squeeze, as this is the highlight on the farming calendar. With over 80 percent of visitors representing either grain or cattle farmers, we have lined up our latest commercial vehicle products, which provide efficient and robust transport solutions for these farmers, or any other type of farming requirement. Our fuel-efficient, reliable and versatile passenger cars offer unsurpassed family safety and comfort.”

“We are delighted to be a part of this event as we bring our vehicles, as well as vehicle finance and insurance solutions, to our farming customers,” says Niefer.

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles have a long and illustrious relationship with the farming community. The truck and van divisions of Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles have a loyal customer base spanning more than fifty years. This year’s product line-up at NAMPO show-cases models from the very latest Actros to the Vito Crewbus.

Included in the show-stopping display is the one-of-a-kind Unimog, a workhorse with a strong heritage. The Unimog is no stranger to the southern African market and many a show-goer will be familiar with its unparalleled ability to go where few others can navigate.

The flagship of the brand is a third-generation Mercedes-Benz Actros, which has been designed for uncompromising economy, comfort, safety and environmental compatibility. The latest product offering of Fleetboard is a standard feature in Actros, and the exciting ‘Truckermania’ Fleetboard Drivers’ League 2010 economical international driving competition will also be showcased.
The tried-and-tested Mercedes-Benz Axor and Atego models on display are both fitted with the versatile economical body concept. This modular body can be utilised for three different applications, as a dropside, or a bulk or a livestock carrier.

CharterWay, a suite of vehicle leasing, maintenance and servicing products tailored specifically for the truck fleet owner, will be offered on all Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles at NAMPO. CharterWay customers know exactly what their vehicle expenses are. With a fixed cost per kilometre, operators can budget more strategically and price their services more accurately. The regular preventative maintenance by Mercedes-Benz-trained technicians guarantees optimum vehicle uptime and any CharterWay contract is a tax-deductible operating expense. This exciting product is a viable alternative to vehicle ownership.

The Van division will be offering special ‘Vantastic’ deals at NAMPO on the Vito, Viano and Sprinter range, through their servicing dealer, John Williams Bloemfontein, who will have representation on hand to execute these offers.

In the Sprinter range, there is a freight carrier and a freight carrier 4x4 with specialised body conversions. These units are ideally suited for various applications within the agricultural sector. Warranty on the Vito and new Sprinter models is two years, unlimited mileage.

Freightliner
The Freightliner Argosy is the undisputed king of long-haul transportation, thereby making it the truck of choice in the local market. On show is the exciting Freightliner Argosy with Detroit Diesel engines. The base model on show is the 440 hp Detroit Diesel, and a 530 hp premium Detroit Diesel model. Detroit Diesel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler trucks and one can expect to see far more Detroit Diesel powered trucks on the roads in southern Africa shortly.

Freightliner is at the forefront of customisation and technology and the Argosy takes into account every customer’s requirement.

FUSO
The Mitsubishi FUSO trucks on display at NAMPO this year are equipped to reinforce the message of versatility and innovation.

The challenge in agriculture is to extract maximum utilisation from a truck when farming requires a variety of applications to satisfy seasonal and changing transportation needs. With this in mind, Mitsubishi FUSO are premiering their new Canter range, which are now all fitted with turbocharged Euro 2 emissions compliant engines. The Canter FE 7-136 model is now fitted with 17.5 inch tubeless radial tyres, which offer longer tyre life, improved handling, braking and fuel consumption.

Another advantage of the new Euro 2 Canter, especially for the Highveld farmer, is that with turbocharged engines, there is almost no loss in engine performance when running at Highveld altitudes.

In addition, Mitsubishi FUSO is showcasing some of the well-known FM range of trucks - the FM16-253, which is an 8-ton truck with a livestock body, and the FM15, which is fitted with a 6 cubic metre tipper body.

Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi Motors have a full product line-up, all well suited to the daily needs of the farming community. Both the Pajero LWB and SWB GLS models on display are a testimony to engineering excellence and are authentic 4x4 vehicles.

Joining these vehicles is the Pajero Sport GLS, which had its premiere at NAMPO last year. The Pajero Sport has attracted the 4x4 fraternity by virtue of its good looks, engineering excellence and versatility. This seven-seater unit has standard safety and technology features renowned with all Mitsubishi products.

Mitsubishi is synonymous with adventure and the Triton bakkie range is no stranger to adventure. Having proven its reliability and ruggedness in many an off-road expedition, the Triton bakkies are tough, yet boast passenger car-like comfort and ride levels.

The Outlander and Lancer models are unbeatable as a value-for-money proposition in their segments that offer the sophisticated constantly variable transmission (CVT). Both models boast exceptional ride and handling characteristics and top performance.

Safety is paramount to Mitsubishi and all products boast the highest levels of safety standards.

Mercedes-Benz Cars
As there are four seasons in life - starting off on your career, marriage, family life and eventually that long-awaited retirement - there is a Mercedes-Benz product suited to each of these varying life stages.

Diesel models have always been the vehicle of choice with the farming community and Mercedes-Benz Cars have chosen to showcase products most appropriate for the agricultural community. With no distinction being made between service intervals on the petrol and diesel models (20 000 km), the popularity of diesel engines is growing.

From the A-Class and B-Class models to the flagship S-Class, there is a selection of cost-effective motoring for all walks of life. Mercedes-Benz Cars proudly presents their show-stopping E63 AMG alongside their BlueEFFICIENCY models of the C220 CDI, E250 CDI, S350 CDI, ML 350 CDI and GL350 CDI.

For the new BlueEFFICIENCY models, Mercedes engineers have harnessed potentials from all fields of development to reduce weight, aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance yet further, and to organise the onboard energy management of these saloons even more efficiently. This gives for improved fuel savings.

Off-road track experience
Their will be daily demonstrations for show-goers to see the off-road vehicles go through their paces with professional off-road instructors. Some may have the opportunity to experience the offerings at the specially-designed obstacle course at 11:00 and 15:00 during the course of the show.