Mercedes-Benz equips dealers with iPads

Mercedes-Benz is expanding its love for iDevices by outfitting its dealers with the Apple tablet and trying to prove that it can work in enterprise environments.

The auto company will provide iPads to 40 dealers around the country as part of a test program. These units will come with special proprietary software – a mobile version of the applications on existing computer systems throughout the dealerships.

This will allow salespeople to walk around the show floor with all the software’s tools at their disposal without being tethered to a bulky desktop.

“We see the iPad providing wireless mobility, information and flexibility on the showroom floor. The iPad will provide a competitive advantage to our dealers by increasing their service levels through a more flexible financing process,” said MB Financial marketing VP Andreas Hinrichs.

Mercedes-Benz was an early adopter to the iPhone after it released an app that allows users to make payments on their lease directly through the device. More than 5 thousand payments, totaling $3.6 million, have been processed on the iPhone and iPod Touch.