CB Richard Ellis announced on Wednesday that it represented theautomaker in its deal with Two Trees Management, which will developthe dealership as part of a mixed-use project. "Mercedes-Benz is apremier automaker who seized a tremendous opportunity to relocatein Manhattan, enabling the firm to provide enhanced customer careand efficiency," says CBRE vice chairman Michael R. Laginestra in arelease. "As can be seen, New York is still an in-demand market,especially among best-in-class companies."

In a separate release, Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA,says his company is "working with its dealer partners, who togetherare investing over $1 billion, to achieve unparalleled levels ofconsistency across the network through what we call [Mercedes']Autohaus project. This involves both brand elements as well asarchitectural designs that are oriented around creating moretransparency, comfort and convenience for the customer. Consistentwith this, [Mercedes is] creating an all-new MB Manhattandealership to shine as the jewel in the crown of the network."

Blair Creed, manager of MB Manhattan, says in a release, "As ourmarket share increases, and the Mercedes-Benz brand continues togrow in popularity, we see this [relocation] as a way to raise thebar in our Manhattan sales and service operations with a view tocontinuously exceed the expectations of our customers. Our customerbase will find the new MB Manhattan location more convenient anduser-focused."