Mercedes offers dealers incentive

JAKARTA: To strengthen its leadership in the premium market segment -- with a total of 721 units sold in the first five months of this year -- PT DaimlerChrysler Indonesia has launched the Mercedes- Benz Service Excellence Award in the country.

The "competition" is aimed at improving Mercedes-Benz dealers' after-sales service.

"Our success in the European premium car segment reflects our success in retaining customer satisfaction in Indonesia," DaimlerChrysler Indonesia president director Friedel Engisch said during the launching last week.

"Mercedes-Benz has been admired in the automotive industry for its high-quality features, including active and passive safety features (in the cars), high-quality cars and professional customer service."

Starting last year, the company has been holding Mystery Shopping Workshops for dealers in the major cities of Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Medan.

Sixteen dealers in the country will compete at national level while more than 100 dealers, including Indonesians, will compete at Southeast Asia regional level.

The winner of the national competition will be announced in January 2006, with the best dealer in each country pocketing a cash prize of 25,000 euro.

The best dealer in the Southeast Asia region will be announced a month later in Singapore. The winner will receive an additional 25,000 euro and a trip to visit Mercedes-Benz' Sindelfingen plant in Germany, which produces Maybach and is home to the Mercedes- Benz Classic Center. -- JP