Daimlerchrysler Services Fleet Management has reached a milestone after handing over the vehicle for its 100,000th contract.

The car, a Mercedes-Benz C-class, was presented in Gütersloh, Germany, to Bertelsmann.

'Having signed the 100,000th contract, DaimlerChrysler Services Fleet Management has reached another milestone in its four-year success story,' said Georg Bauer, member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler Services.

'The fleet business is the fastest growing segment in the automotive services industry. In Germany alone, there are about 3,500 fleets of 50 vehicles or more. As fleet management specialists offering consulting, leasing and management from one source, there is vast potential in this segment to continue our reasonable and profitable growth strategy,' he added.

The company said that as well as multi-brand concepts, the European fleet management companies of DaimlerChrysler Services offer pan-European, cross-border fleet solutions.

It took control of 500 vehicles for the executive management of Bertelsmann in September 2000.

As reported in Fleet News Europe earlier this year, the company said it secured the fleet management contract with Bertelsmann because of its 'highly innovative technical capabilities'.

'The crucial advantage was our ability to develop a web-based fleet management solution, tailor-made to the customer's needs,' said Dr Hans-Ulrich Sachenbacher, managing director of DaimlerChrysler Services Fleet Management. (September 2001)