In just two weeks time the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) kicks off, running from 6 to 16 October 2011. It promises to be a very exciting event for MBSA – especially since this is the year in which Mercedes-Benz is celebrating being the creator of the automobile, with the 125! Years of Innovation campaign. In addition, all our brands have new stand designs and both Mercedes-Benz passenger car division and commercial vehicles division will have exciting reveals that promise to be showstoppers!
The single largest international automotive event in Southern Africa, JIMS runs in conjunction with two additional shows - ‘Auto Shop’ and the ‘Johannesburg Truck & Bus Show’. These collectively offer a complete representation of the motor industry, serving Sub Saharan Africa and South Africa as host country. JIMS takes place at the MTN Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg.
Our MBSA’s passenger car and commercial vehicles will each convey their own unique look, more accurately portraying the brand's personality. Our state-of-the-art stands will boast state-of-the-art brands - from the brand-new A-Class, engaging CLS, tough G-Class and, of course, the brand-new SLS AMG Roadster, to the new Argosy and our ‘green’ Vito E-Cell.
It’s going to be colourful, it’s going to be noisy and it’s going to be packed! You won’t want to miss out.
Description of your stand and Pretoria. Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will have an exciting and dominant presence at the Johannesburg International Motor Show in October, as it showcases exhilarating high-performance passenger cars and state-of the-art trucks, vans and buses.
This year Daimler and its local subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA), are celebrating this 125th anniversary. Amongst these will be MBSA’s strong pioneering theme at the Johannesburg International Motor Show.
Stand number
Hall5: 5A03/A06/A04/A05: Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles
Hall 6: 6B1/C1/C3: Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars
Outside: OS1A01/OS1A02/OS1A04: Commercial Vehicles Wester Star and Unimog
Brief description of your cars on show and what is on offer
Mercedes-Benz Cars exhibition in Hall 6:
The high-performance, heart-stopping Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster is sure to enthral. This ‘masterpiece’ puts out a massive 420 kW at 6 800 rpm, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in a mere 3.8 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 317 km/h (electronically limited). The Johannesburg Motor Show will be the first public viewing of this exciting V8 powerhouse.
The most successful Mercedes-Benz in the brand’s history, the C-Class, has sold over 8.5 million sedans and estates since its original introduction in 1982. In South Africa the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the cornerstone of the local company’s export programme to the United States, where it has consistently secured the top J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study awards, taking a gold award in 2009 and 2011 and the coveted Platinum Award for the single best plant in the world supplying new cars to the US, in 2010. The current W203 model has sold around 1.2 million. The latest new generation C-Class launched in South Africa in July this year is bound to add to this remarkable tally.
The new C-Class coupé launched on 1 August puts the panache back into the two-door sedan market with all the progressive technology of the C-Class combined with the sportiness of a compact coupé.
Following the alternative-drive concept, Mercedes-Benz will present the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL model used in the recent “World Drive Tour” to unequivocally prove the everyday usability of Mercedes-Benz’ fuel-cell technology.
The showstopper, the Concept A-Class, is bound to be the overall star of the Johannesburg Motor Show. This is a futuristic car with very expressive design and styling to symbolise concentrated dynamism. The technical highlights include a new, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, dual clutch transmission and a radar-based collision warning system with Adaptive Brake Assist.
smart‘s claim as the car with the lowest emissions ever, remains intact. To display the brand’s total environmental commitment MBSA will feature the smart MHD (micro-hybrid drive) in tandem with the smart ebike, which provides emission-free electric mobility on two wheels.
MBSA commercial vehicles exhibition in Hall 5:
The MBSA commercial vehicles stable (inclusive of trucks, vans and buses) makes a truly bold statement at the Johannesburg Motor Show this year. In addition to the German engineering of the Mercedes-Benz models, the company also showcases the best of its class-leading American and Japanese marques.
The ever-popular FUSO from Japan will have three models on display – a must-see is the latest (and greenest) addition to the family, the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid.
Of American origin, the Freightliner Argosy range will show the serious visitor what the powerful Detroit Diesel engines can do for their business.
Trucks can also be glamorous! Making a real splash outside the entrance to the Truck Show at Hall 5 is a highly-polished chrome-finished, Western Star model, which will be hard to miss.
Leading the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle exhibition will its flagship Actros range, represented by two models. The first is an Actros Euro 5 BlueTEC, demonstrating that ‘the new green is BLUE’. The second is the Actros Special Edition which comes with a host of fuel efficiency measures and safety systems - making the world’s safest truck even safer.
The latest all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz Axor which is robust, reliable and custom-made for Africa will feature the innovative Mercedes PowerShift automatic gearshift, which is now standard in this exceptional workhorse.
Also at the stand is a firm favourite with South African - the UNIMOG. This iconic brand has a rich and powerful heritage, having recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.
An ‘environmental angel’ in the form of a Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT (natural gas technology) will ‘visit’ the truck stand. This advanced, environmentally-friendly, low-floor transport vehicle is successfully used for municipal and short-radius distribution applications internationally, which explains why it dominates the inner-city mobility vehicle system sector in Europe and some South American markets.
MBSA vans exhibition in Hall 5:
Mercedes-benz Vans consistently invests in products and technologies and therefore has a very new product range.
Premiering at the Johannesburg Motor Show is the award-winning, lithium-ion-battery powered Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL. A world-first, a Van with electric-drive system, supplied ex-factory, which supports Daimler’s claim to clean technology leadership. This vehicle has made strong inroads into the transport and logistics sectors with its impressive innovative strength and good performance.
Continuing the focus on ‘clean technology’, the Viano FUN with the latest BlueEFFICIENCY technology feature - the ECO start/stop system – has exemplary functionality as well as offering spontaneity. It has highly flexible variable system for seven-passenger seating configurations. You can have fun to your heart’s content with the Viano FUN – turning it from a people transporter into a mobile hotel in a matter of minutes.
Sprinter displays its versatility in the shape of a mobile office. Standard safety features such as the ADAPTIVE ESP (Electronic Stability Control) ensures great sensitivity and precision in critical driving situations.
MBSA bus and coach exhibition in Hall 5:
“Rea tsamaya – We are going!” This is the mantra of the Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach team who will exhibit the Multego semi-luxury coach, together with the OF1730 commuter bus, specifically designed to meet South Africa’s tough road conditions. These models play an integral part in providing world-class transport services in both the public and private sectors.
MBSA value-add solutions exhibited in Hall 5:
TruckStore offers customers used trucks in three product classifications - Gold, Silver and Bronze – all with a roadworthy certificate, and allows them to find the right vehicle for their business quickly and simply, and matched with their purchasing ability.
Predictable mobility is one of the most important factors for success in today’s competitive transport and logistics sector. CharterWay allows the customer to operate with fixed monthly costs for the duration of the lease contract. This makes it possible to truly optimise the vehicle use.
FleetBoard offers effective control and management of a company’s fleet. With rising fuel, vehicle and maintenance cost, and increased time pressures, fleet managers need to operate their fleets in the most economical and efficient way possible. FleetBoard from Mercedes-Benz is a world-leading telematics system that offers customers a safe, reliable and economical service to cut costs and to ease the fleet management function.
As is evident from the abovementioned, MBSA is the largest exhibitor as a group at the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show with its the vast array of vehicles representing both commercial vehicles, vans and buses; from the smallest smart car to executive passenger cars, as well a finance and insurance and fleet management solutions.
Although constructed under the overall Mercedes-Benz South Africa banner, each display, with its own particular ‘visual hook’ clearly defines every marque’s distinctive attributes.
As exciting as the show will be for the enthusiast and the family, so too the show provides an ideal opportunity to promote automotive trade opportunities and a chance to engage in one-on-one networking and business-building opportunities with local companies.
Find out more: www.mercedes-benzsa.co.za