For the first time ever, the automobile group is planning to have a separate exhibition stand exclusively for taxis at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt.
In the purpose-made ‘Café Taxi’, all taxi drivers and operators get a free coffee and a gift. The International Motor Show, IAA, is one of the biggest motor shows in the world. It will take place from 17th – 27th September in Frankfurt’s exhibition halls.
‘Café Taxi’ is an attempt to capture the motto of this year’s show `mobility connects`and to demonstrate the established partnership between Mercedes and the taxi industry, as a speaker from the Mercedes-Benz sales department tells Taxi Times. On the exhibition stand, the group displays the complete portfolio of all the available taxi models, from the compact model to the taxi van. Inside the taxis on display, external service providers are also presenting their taxi-specific software and hardware solutions.
Mercedes is currently much disputed within the taxi industry as it is active in various fields of business. On the one hand, the car sales department strongly markets to taxi clientele; on the other hand, the group has become a direct competitor of established taxi offices since the Daimler subsidiary moovel acquired the mytaxi app. In the battle for customers, mytaxi recently extended a discount campaign for Germany (except Stuttgart), even though a temporary injunction had been issued at the request of the taxi office in Stuttgart due to a violation of Section 39 PBefG [passenger transportation act]. A number of taxi operators who feel very closely connected to their regional taxi offices have announced that next time they change their vehicles they will refrain from using the brand with the star. jh
Foto: Taxi Times
