Sytner Group is working closely with DaimlerChrysler UK to develop new ways of presenting cars in Mercedes-Benz showrooms. Point-of-sale innovations will later be made available across Mercedes’ UK network.

The project is intended to make showroom presentations more compelling ahead of the opening (scheduled for 2006) of the Mercedes-Benz Heritage and Technology Centre on the site of the former Brooklands race circuit in Weybridge, Surrey.

Sytner is carrying out the POS pilot at its Mercedes dealership in Milton Keynes, conveniently close to the headquarters of DaimlerChrysler UK, so that staff can call in and check on progress. Mercedes has tried out the features in at least one of its own showrooms.

The ideas range from grouping cars by model type to projecting images of moving cars onto windows when the dealership is closed. A key objective of the Sytner pilot is to assess the potential of the proposed innovations when judged against cost. David Holmes, managing director of Sytner’s DaimlerChrysler division, says: “We started the pilot in May and one of the areas Mercedes-Benz is evaluating is whether it works best to group cars by model range.”

The purchase of DC’s 155-acre Brooklands site was completed this month and preparation work for building is under way. The land extends to the site owned by the Brooklands Museum to which DaimlerChrysler has donated 1.5 acres for future development.