Mercedes-Benz has opened a £4m flagship operation in Exeter to retail its own brand and Smart cars - the latter from a facility named Smart Box. The City West Country site was funded by City Motor Holdings and took 100 days to build. With a 17-car showroom and space for 175 new and used vehicles, the company is aiming to sell 319 new Mercedes-Benz and 202 Smart cars before the end of the year in its Truro to Taunton territory.

To help it achieve these targets, 15 to 20 new staff are being recruited, taking the total number of employees to 60. The new site is part of a £350m investment in the modernisation and expansion of the DaimlerChrysler dealer network, which is to be divided into 35 market area concepts based on major urban areas, with five in London, one in Birmingham and one in Manchester.

“We want to make this site different from the rest of the dealerships in the industry. We want to raise the standard, to be the benchmark for the industry in terms of facilities and what we offer,” says City West Country director Chris Spaett. Dedicated meeters and greeters will welcome customers and sales staff will be primed to offer coffee and newspapers. “We want to deliver a personal service to a huge amount of people,” he says.