Daimler AG’s commercial vehicle brands have achieved an outstanding showing in this year’s Image Awards from VerkehrsRundschau, the renowned specialist magazine for the transport and logistics sector. Daimler brands took first place in five of the six category rankings in which they were assessed. In four categories, the company even scooped a double victory to assure it of “Unchallenged Winner” status. Image Awards went to Daimler in the Trucks, Vans, Commercial Vehicle Rental and Telematics categories. A particularly gratifying outcome for the Stuttgart-based commercial vehicle specialists was its choice as the most popular commercial vehicle brand among “Young Logistics Professionals”. In a special poll of 4000 junior members of the logistics profession, the future decision-makers who are currently aged up to 32 identified the vans sporting the Mercedes star as their favorites.
Image Award 2011: 107 brands in the running
The image ranking, which VerkehrsRundschau has been conducting since 2002, centres on a representative opinion poll to survey the image and awareness levels of the leading companies offering commercial vehicles and products and services for commercial vehicle fleets. To this end, the TNS Emnid market research institute interviewed a total of 400 executive staff in Germany at transportation companies and at industrial and commercial enterprises operating their own fleets. All 107 of the brands selected for this study are among the market leaders in Germany in terms of market share and public perception.
Since last year, the image study has offered two rankings per category: the rating by the operators of small fleets (up to 10 commercial vehicles) and the image assessment by operators of medium-sized and large fleets (11 commercial vehicles and over). A brand which wins the Image Award in both rankings is considered to be the unchallenged winner of the category concerned.
Mercedes-Benz vans win both rankings
As in 2010, the Mercedes-Benz vans scooped the title of “Unchallenged Winner” once again in the Vans category. Mercedes-Benz was also the winner in this category throughout the previous years. This year, the operators of small fleets awarded 812 out of a possible total of 1000 image points to the Mercedes vans. The vote of approval from the operators of medium-sized and large fleets was even more resounding, with 823 image points going to the Sprinter, Vito and Vario product range.
Award for Mercedes-Benz trucks
The commercial vehicles from Mercedes-Benz also lead the field in the “top-flight” Trucks category. The trucks in the permissible gross vehicle weight category of 3.5 t and over claimed the Image Award with 796 points from operators of fleets of up to ten commercial vehicles, who account for around 80 percent of German transport companies.
Two Image Awards for Mercedes-Benz Charterway
The Image Award also went to Stuttgart for both segments of the Rental/Leasing category. Following on from last year’s success, Mercedes-Benz Charterway remains the number one among transport companies, forwarding agents and internal works transport operators, making it once again the “Unchallenged Winner” among the providers of rental and financing services in connection with the acquisition of commercial vehicles.
The three product lines Charterway Service, Charterway Service Leasing and Charterway Rental even improved their image rating among the operators of small, medium-sized and larger fleets alike in comparison to the previous year. In the ranking by operators of up to ten commercial vehicles Mercedes-Benz Charterway received 768 image points (previous year: 746), while operators of fleets of eleven commercial vehicles or more awarded 752 image points (previous year: 722).
Daimler FleetBoard: Unchallenged Winner among telematics systems
As in the previous year, the telematics solutions from Daimler FleetBoard to enhance the economic efficiency of commercial vehicle fleets took first place in the Telematics category once again in 2011. The operators of small fleets awarded 713 image points and the operators of fleets of eleven commercial vehicles and over awarded 762 image points, assuring the Daimler subsidiary of the Image Award in both rankings.
This result affirms Daimler FleetBoard’s strategy aimed at further expanding its current product offering. As the most recent example of this expansion course, FleetBoard is now also available ex-factory as an original equipment item for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. This means that a highly efficient telematics system from Daimler FleetBoard is now also available to operators of van fleets as a means of reducing operating costs through optimised job and route management and as a facility to lower maintenance and repair costs.
Mercedes-Benz emerges as most popular brand
Mercedes-Benz also emerged from the Image Awards as the most popular commercial vehicle brand. This finding was based on a representative opinion poll conducted on this year’s special topic of “Brand perception among young logistics professionals”. Mercedes-Benz had already claimed first place in the special category last year, when the focus was on the environment.
Over 4000 future specialists and junior executives from the fields of transport, haulage and logistics were interviewed for the Image Award 2011 in the special category of “Young Logistics Professionals”. On the subject of commercial vehicles and fleets, the young logistics professionals of up to 32 years of age chose Mercedes as their favourite truck brand from among 107 contenders. The truck brand from Stuttgart received 897 out of a possible total of 1000 image points. The all-round success of the Daimler brands on all fronts was sealed by the top ranking in the second segment of this special category. The future decision-makers in the area of commercial vehicles and fleet accessories awarded 871 image points to the van brand bearing the Mercedes star.
