Northside enlists superheroes to market new Mercedes-Benz Citan

Yorkshire dealer Northside Truck & Van has gone live with a light-hearted internet marketing campaign promoting the exciting Mercedes-Benz Citan, the first city van to wear a three-pointed star.


Its short, humorous video 'teaser' entitled A new hero is coming which features two familiar superheroes in a setting that's more mill-town than Tinseltown!


Northside is looking forward to launching the Citan to customers throughout the region early in the New Year, at its dealerships in Bradford, Doncaster, Hull, Immingham, Leeds, Sheffield and York.


The Citan is one of the most hotly-awaited new models to hit the UK van market in years - and Northside's web-based 'teaser' is helping to build anticipation still further.


As well as the video clip, its campaign also features useful facts and figures about the Citan. It is the second time Northside has used the power of the web to create a 'buzz' around its products - an online promotion of the Vito van range attracted more than 25,000 'hits' across social networking sites.


Managing Director Tim Ward said: "The Citan is a revolutionary product for Mercedes-Benz and at the cutting edge of van technology - what more appropriate away to advertise its arrival than through online social marketing."


Powerful yet economic, spacious but compact, nimble and sturdy, the Citan range represents the first foray by Mercedes-Benz into an entirely new segment. It means the manufacturer can now offer van operators a complete range solution, making Northside a true 'one-stop shop' for all light commercial vehicle needs.


True to form, with its new urban delivery vehicle Mercedes-Benz offers a selection of sizes and specifications to suit all applications. Citans will be available in three model variants, with three different body lengths, and four power ratings. One thing all will have in common, though, is the combination of superb build quality, low operating costs, smart professional image, winning driver appeal and uncompromising safety standards for which Mercedes-Benz vans are renowned.


Citan customers can choose from Compact, Long or Extra-long versions. Interior load lengths are from 1.36 m to 2.13 m, and volumes vary from 2.4 m3 to 3.8 m3. Payload, meanwhile, is dependent on the length and weight of the particular variant in question and can be 500 kg, 635 kg or 800 kg.


In addition to panel van versions, Mercedes-Benz offers a Citan Dualiner, which comes in Extra Long format and combines its folding rear bench seat with a practical cargo space, and a Citan Traveliner in Long format, which has a folding rear bench seat and can carry the driver and up to four passengers.


Under the bonnet, the clean-burning, fuel-efficient 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine is available with power outputs of 75, 90 or 110 hp. There's also a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which pumps out 114 hp. All, of course, easily meet Euro 5 emissions standards and are available with stop-start technology to boost fuel economy.