merCedes-benz guard range

Family Safety and Peace of MindAs multinational companies expand their reach into emerging or frontier markets, the deployment of expatriates into these markets has oftentimes placed these executives in unfamiliar territory, where they are totally at odds with what they are accustomed to at home.

south africa has a large expatriate community and for many of them there has been a need to undergo a mindset change

and adapt to an unfamiliar environment. one of the critical adaptations that often needs to be made is around the issues

of safety and security. operating and functioning in semi-permissive environments like south africa, and other countries

throughout africa and the middle east, requires an investment in security for the benefit of oneself and family.

according to the latest statistics, south africa’s private security industry is currently estimated to be worth approximately

R50 billion annually, and is one of the largest in the world. Risk management, including close-protection, is no longer ph

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reserved for diplomats, government officials or executives operating in high risk regions. today, private citizens –

particularly high net worth individuals - are becoming more cognisant of the potential risks that they and their loved ones

face on a daily basis.

Investing in security to offset the accompanying risks and threats should be considered as a mandatory procedure to

living and operating in semi-permissive environments. For expatriates and south africans alike, it’s not about operating

from a standpoint of fear, it’s about being proactive and making smart decisions when it comes to the safety and security

of your family. these decisions may include choosing to live in a secure, gated community, rather than in a stand-alone

house in local suburbia, or ensuring your home has physical security barriers and an alarm.

It is not just your residential and business environment that needs to be sufficiently secured, however, ensuring your

safety on the roads today is also of paramount importance. With mercedes-benz, you also have the choice between its

superior range of luxury vehicles with stellar safety records, or taking your safety and security that extra step further and

selecting one of their factory-fitted armoured vehicles.

Recommended and used by professionals

garth Fuchs, executive director of risk management company, deltaone International, says that the company’s proven

choice will always be a mercedes-benz guard vehicle for the protection of their clients and their client’s families.

“mercedes-benz has offered factory produced armoured vehicles in the form of their ‘guard’ class since 1928. these

vehicles are geared towards clients such as ours, who either want to drive themselves or be driven, and who want to

be in a secure vehicle that doesn't look like a security vehicle. It is an area of security investment worthy of serious

consideration. ”

Fuchs says that the mercedes-benz guard vehicles afford those individuals who do not have the direct benefit of having

an executive protection specialist at their disposal, some of the benefits of protection that an executive protection plan

would traditionally offer. “It is very comforting to know that you are able to commute securely from point-to-point in a

protective ‘bubble’ as offered by the protection of the guard class armouring. a further advantage with the guard class

Safety

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iron-core ammunition.

certification of these guard vehicles was carried out by the ulm-based ballistics bureau, in an independent, neutral test,

ensuring that the integrated protection concept is appropriate to face the hard requirements of real danger situations.

the guard class vehicles’ optional floor armour passed ballistic and explosive tests successfully, withstanding fire

from different angles, and blasts with dm51 hand grenades to both the front and rear of the vehicle, according to test

guidelines eRv 2010. by following the integrated special protection design principal, mercedes-benz ensures that all

the advantages of its standard production vehicles are retained, such as the luxurious yet functional vehicle interior, the

high level of active and passive safety, the exceptional ride comfort and agile driving dynamics. generously dimensioned

suspension components and breaks ensure that handling qualities closely match production counterparts, giving the

driver optimal driving feel, with high dynamic reserves at all times.

the guard class is exclusively available with tyres with run-flat capability and five spoke 50,8 cm (20-inch) amg light-

alloy wheels, making it possible to drive on safely for up to 30km at a maximum speed of 80 km/h, even if the tyre has

suffered a total loss of air. put plainly, while you are driving in the safety of an armoured car, which is approximately 400

kilograms heavier than the standard production model, you don’t feel as though you’re driving a cash-in-transit vehicle.

at most, with one passenger inside, the car will feel as it would if you had four adults in the car: slightly heavier and slightly

slower to react.

In addition to building and maintaining the special protection vehicles, mercedes-benz will offer a sophisticated driver

training course at the amg driving academy in Zwartkops, which will be available to all guard buyers. the course will

enable customers and their drivers to make optimum use of their special protection vehicles in all kinds of conditions.

selvin govender, divisional marketing manager mercedes-benz cars, says: “We understand the demands of our

customers and that our responsibility to offer safety is not just the delivery of our armoured vehicles. at mercedes-benz

south africa we are working on a concept to equip our customers with the right tools to be safe at all times, whether it is

the recognition and awareness of hostile situations or even basic self-defence.”

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from mercedes-benz is that this mobile protective ‘bubble’ retains all the unique elements associated with this brand

name; namely - style, comfort, class and superior performance. these vehicles dispel the misconception that armoured

vehicles are large, hulking and lack the standard features and benefits found in the regular non-armoured mercedes-

benz vehicles. part of our role as security consultants is to educate our clients that they can have the benefits of a secure

armoured vehicle without drawing unwanted and unnecessary attention to themselves.”

making a security investment in a mercedes-benz guard class vehicle translates into a number of benefits including rapid

and secure transportation between departure and arrival points. having a high-performance, luxury, armoured vehicle

to protect you and your family from harm eliminates the tension and stress of having to run the ‘carjacking gauntlet’

between home and work and other destinations. this improves your quality of life and overall productivity, together with

knowing that your family is safe and secure when going mobile.

Discreet Security

mercedes-benz believes that a guard vehicle should be virtually indistinguishable from its production counterpart and

this is certainly true of the armoured versions of their popular e 500, ml 500 and s 600 vehicles, which all follow the

brand-typical integrated special protection design principle. this means that all the additional protection systems are

fully taken into account right from the development phase of each model and are then perfectly integrated into the

vehicles architecture. each vehicle’s body shell is also strengthened from the outset, to accommodate the greater

weight and positioning of the armour elements, resulting in greater stability of the entire body structure and in the typical

longevity and high resistance characteristics of the conventional non-armoured models. as the individual protection

elements are integrated into the raw vehicle body shell in an autonomous process, the entire passenger compartment is

fully protected, including the roof frame struts, locks, door gaps and exterior mirror mounts – nothing is left to chance.

the m guard vR4 meets the requirements of protection level vR4, according to testing guidelines for bullet Resistant

vehicles 2009, and will resist, amongst others, a magnum .357 and .44, while the m-guard vR6 complies with protection

level vR6, as defined by the bRv 2009 guidelines, and will withstand being fired upon with rifles using 7.62 x 39 mm

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Three special-protection models

While there are a number of production mercedes-benz guard vehicles available immediately, your personalised guard

vehicle will take approximately six months to produce, from time of order to delivery. the mercedes-benz e 500 guard,

ml 500 guard and s 600 guard ranges are available for purchase at any of the mercedes-benz dealerships across

the country. In order to view a showroom unit, and receive more in-depth guidance from their specialised service and

sales staff, we recommend visiting one of the guard class dealerships including, mercedes-benz Fountains in tshwane,

mercedes-benz bryanston in Johannesburg, mb umhlanga (durban), mercedes-benz century city in the cape and m+Z

motors (Windhoek, namibia). these designated dealers have sales forces with advanced technical knowledge to advise

and fulfil your requirements and give you a personalised experience during the selling process. likewise, the service

teams in all of these dealerships are fully trained to maintain our mercedes-benz guard vehicles to the highest mercedes-

benz standards. should there be an issue that cannot be resolved locally, mercedes-benz will dispatch one of their ‘flying

doctors’ - a specialist technician working out of germany – to handle the problem in order to get your special protection

vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible.

Meeting the highest standards

mercedes-benz has long excelled in the production of special protection vehicles. Its long-standing, continuous and

close cooperation with nationally and internationally recognised security authorities has ensured that mercedes

specialists continue to increase their expertise in the fields of development and manufacturing and at the same time

applying their vast experience in vehicle protection technology and ballistics to meet the highest standards.

the company’s rigorous advancements on the road to perfection are a result of extensive materials testing, focused

development and continuous improvement that have secured its solid reputation in the industry as renowned

specialists in special protection vehicle production.

While mercedes-benz sincerely hopes that the type of protection that it offers its customers with the guard class of

vehicles is never needed or necessary, the company can promise that when it is needed, a guard class vehicle can be

relied upon. lindsay grubb

Embrace the world with certainty.Introducing the new M-Guard.

Contact one of our Guard dealerships today to find out more about Mercedes-Benz Guard. The finest World of Protection.

www.mercedes-benz.co.za/guardVehicle specifications may vary for the South African market.

Mercedes-Benz Bryanston 7 Arklow Road Bryanston, Gauteng, Johannesburg, 2194. Tel: (011) 460 8600 • Mercedes-Benz Century City Century Boulevard Century

City, Western Cape, Cape Town, 7460. Tel: (021) 528 0400 • Mercedes-Benz Durban 190 Old Fort Rd/KE Masinga Rd, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 4000. Tel: (031) 336 4300

Mercedes-Benz Fountains 609 Thabo Sehume Street, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0002. Tel: (012) 339 0700 • Mercedes-Benz Windhoek Cnr Lazarett and Patterson Street,

Southern Industria, Windhoek, 0000. Tel: +26461 225401

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