FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. and
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz
Financial Services USA and DealerTrack today announced that
DealerTrack Aftermarket Services, Inc., a subsidiary of DealerTrack
Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRAK), has been selected as the exclusive
technology platform to support sales of Mercedes-Benz Financial
Services's comprehensive line of Mercedes-Benz-branded vehicle
protection products sold by dealers to their customers.
Since 2006, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services has been responding
to the needs of Mercedes-Benz dealers and their customers by
creating and executing an aftermarket product offensive of six
vehicle protection products that are branded Mercedes-Benz
Financial Services and guaranteed to use genuine Mercedes-Benz
parts installed by Mercedes-Benz-trained technicians when repairs
are needed.
In creating these products which protect a customer's investment
and provides peace of mind, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services
has partnered with best-in-class aftermarket product insurance
underwriters who administer contracts and claims in addition to
functioning as the back-office support for contract
administration.
Now, to streamline this process and make the sale of these
products easier for dealers and their customers, Mercedes-Benz
Financial Services and DealerTrack Aftermarket Services, Inc., are
in the process of signing up approximately 25 dealers for a pilot
phase before a national rollout to all 355 Mercedes-Benz
dealerships, targeted for March 1,
2011.
Safe-Guard Products International, Zurich, and Advantage Product Pipeline are the
three underwriters of the Mercedes-Benz Financial Services vehicle
protection products. Now all three companies will present rates to
and accept electronic contracts from dealers through DealerTrack
Aftermarket Network.
"The teaming up of our underwriters with DealerTrack is a great
way for our dealers and their customers to benefit from
DealerTrack's solution by streamlining the communication process
with our underwriters and increasing customer satisfaction with the
aftermarket selling experience," said Christopher Weinig, General Manager Insurance,
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.
DealerTrack's fully-automated and paperless workflow solution
will streamline the selling process for Mercedes-Benz dealers by
providing access to real-time rates, menu presentation tools and
electronic contract submissions with preferred providers.
"This process will enable Mercedes-Benz dealers to reduce
contract errors, increase Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores
and provide customers with complete legal disclosures to meet
compliance requirements," said Raj Sundaram, senior vice president,
solutions and services group at DealerTrack.
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services full line of aftermarket
vehicle protection products and the years they were introduced
include:
2010:
First Class Lease Protection
First Class Interior and Exterior
2009:
First Class Guaranteed Auto Protection (originally introduced in
2006)
2008:
First Class Wheel and Tire Protection Plus (originally
introduced in 2006)
First Class Paintless Dent Repair
First Class Windshield Protection
Representatives from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and
DealerTrack will be demonstrating the fully automated process at
the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)
Convention February 5-7 in the
DealerTrack booth (#727 S).
About Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC, headquartered in
Farmington Hills, Mich., with
Business Center Operations in Fort Worth,
Texas, provides brand-specific financial services and
products for Mercedes-Benz automotive dealers and their retail
customers.
It also provides financial support to smart USA dealers and customers. In the U.S.
trucking industry, it conducts business as Daimler Truck Financial
and finances Daimler Trucks North America commercial vehicles
branded Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas-Built Buses.
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC serves as the headquarters
for operations in the United
States, Canada,
Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and has approximately 1,500 employees.
It is a company of the Daimler Financial Services Group,
headquartered in Berlin, Germany,
which does business in more than 40 countries with an employee base
of approximately 6,700. Daimler Financial Services is one of the
leading financial services organizations worldwide. For more
information, go to: mbfs.com
About DealerTrack (www.dealertrack.com)
DealerTrack's intuitive and high-value software solutions
enhance efficiency and profitability for all major segments of the
automotive retail industry, including dealers, lenders, OEMs,
agents and aftermarket providers. Our solution set for dealers is
the industry's most comprehensive. DealerTrack operates the
industry's largest online credit application network, connecting
more than 17,000 dealers with over 900 lenders. Our Dealer
Management System (DMS) provides dealers with easy-to-use tools and
real-time data access that will streamline any automotive business.
Dealers using DealerTrack AAX get the inventory management tools
and services needed to accelerate turns and increase profits. Our
Sales and F&I solution enables dealers to streamline the entire
sales process while structuring all types of deals from a single
integrated platform. DealerTrack's Compliance solution helps
dealers meet legal and regulatory requirements and protect their
hard-earned assets. DealerTrack's family of companies also includes
data and consulting services providers ALG and Chrome Systems. For
more information, visit www.dealertrack.com.
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking and Cautionary
Statements
Statements in this press release regarding the functionality of
the DealerTrack Aftermarket Services platform, Mercedes-Benz dealer
participation on such platform, the benefits to dealers of using
the DealerTrack Aftermarket Services Platform and all other
statements in this release other than the recitation of historical
facts are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements
involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that
could cause actual results, performance or achievements of
DealerTrack to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements.
Factors that might cause such a difference include the
participation of Mercedes-Benz dealers on the DealerTrack
Aftermarket Services platform, the integration between the
DealerTrack Aftermarket Services platform and Mercedes-Benz
dealers’ systems, and those risks listed in DealerTrack reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009. These filings can be
found on DealerTrack’s website at www.dealertrack.com and the SEC’s
website at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements included
herein speak only as of the date hereof and DealerTrack disclaims
any obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect
events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances.
SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC