April 30, 2003

Mercedes-Benz Canada opens new retail dealership in Montreal

Toronto, Ontario - Mercedes-Benz Canada officially opened its newest location in Dollard-des-Ormeaux today, in the West Island of Montreal, making it the first factory-owned retail store operation in the Greater Montreal Area since the late 80's. This latest addition to the company's retail division brings the total number of Canadian retail operations to thirteen facilities (four in Vancouver, one in London and seven in Toronto).

The 54,000 sq.ft. Mercedes-Benz West Island facility is located on a 2.6 acre property conveniently located north of Highway 40 at 4525 Boulevard St-Jean at the corner of Rue Ernest.

The West Island facility is a full-fledged sales, service and parts dealership and currently employs a staff of 30 employees who will be working with Sales Manager Gilbert Paquette and Service Manager Brian Putz. Both have worked in the luxury automotive retail business in Montreal for many years.

The showroom displays approximately 15 vehicles, a customer lounge, children's play area, customer work stations complete with telephone and data lines and a retail parts and accessory display boutique. A second, lower level new and pre-owned showroom for 20 cars, also fully glassed-in, overlooks a landscaped outdoor terrace and rockery. The lower level also accommodates the 5-car delivery area, 2 preparation bays and additional indoor parking away from inclement weather for more than 30 vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz West Island service department incorporates new concepts introduced in other new retail facilities over the past year, including a 4 car drive-through reception area, fully visible service bays and a service walkway easily accessible through a sliding door. Clients are encouraged to watch work being performed in the 14 bay service area, and are invited to walk out to the shop through a sliding glass door to speak to the technician who is working on their vehicle. The 2500sq.ft. parts department is complemented by a full second-storey mezzanine .

The second floor of the West Island location is home to the eastern region office which currently includes; for five employees, a large boardroom and an employee cafeteria.

Mercedes-Benz Canada was first established in Montreal in 1961 when it opened a factory-owned retail branch on Park Avenue. In 1968, it relinquished its operations to an independent operator but returned to the Montreal market in late 1980 to take over the Greenfield Park dealership and DK Automobiles on Buchan Street in 1981. For the following 10 years, Mercedes-Benz Canada operated both facilities but subsequently sold them to Sam Eltes who owns and operates them to this day, as Silver Star Automobiles. Laval and its surrounding areas are also well served by Auto Classique de Laval.

"While the existing Montreal, Laval and South Shore dealerships have always served Mercedes-Benz and its customers very well in this important market, our product line and our sales have increased exponentially in the last few years. It became evident that we needed broader representation in this market and more precisely in the West Island which has seen significant growth in the last several years", said Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. He adds, "Since we have gained great experience over the years with our numerous Toronto and Vancouver retail facilities, we felt we were very well prepared to re-enter the Montreal market after our prolonged absence. We also believe that our network of four conveniently located dealerships in the Greater Montreal Area is stronger and better geared than ever to provide a superior overall automotive experience to all our customers in the Montreal market."

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