The representation of Daimler Trucks'makes in New Zealand has undergone another big change – with Keith Andrews Trucks announcing that it's now an authorised Freightliner dealer  for the North Island.
The news comes hard on the heels of the announcement by North Island Freightliner trucks and Mercedes-Benz trucks, vans and utes dealer Trucks & Trailers that it had purchased South Island-wide dealer Prestige Commercial Vehicles.
Keith Andrews Trucks says the latest development strengthens its position "as the country's leading Daimler commercial vehicle specialist."
It means that truck sales, parts and service for the full Freightliner range are now available at Keith Andrews Trucks dealerships in Auckland, Hamilton and Whangarei – with sales also at its Tauranga branch.
The company says that the expansion of its Freightliner offering is the latest stage in the continued growth of the Keith Andrews network, which started life in Whangarei in 1991 as a dedicated FUSO dealership. 
Since then, it says, "the business has grown to become the largest commercial vehicle dealer in NZ."
Keith Andrews Trucks is also an experienced Mercedes-Benz specialist, covering sales, service and parts for the Northland region from its base in Whangarei, and for Waikato from its Hamilton branch – with parts and service support in Auckland. Freightliner parts and service support has been offered at the Whangarei dealership for the past 15 years.
"The addition of full Freightliner services under the Keith Andrews banner, alongside Mercedes-Benz and FUSO, cements our status as the North Island's go-to Daimler dealer," says managing director Kurtis Andrews.
"Collectively, these brands represent premium options across a wide range of applications, offering leading European, Japanese and American design and technology – all within the Daimler Trucks family.
"While this is a natural progression for our business, it is also the result of hard work, dedication and consistency in delivering the highest level of expertise and customer service for operators across the North Island. We are very excited for the future."
Trucks & Trailers directors Mark and Shannon Wright said in October (prior to the Keith Andrews Trucks announcement) that the company's purchase of Prestige Commercial Vehicles fulfilled "an important objective" in their ambition "to be a leading heavy and light commercial vehicle supplier across NZ."
In August 2017, Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific managing director Daniel Whitehead announced that it was closing down its own NZ distribution operation in favour of appointing a new, NZ-based distributor for Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus.
"We are talking to a number of potential parties, but we are not in a position to disclose their identity at this stage of the process," Whitehead said.
"Our local team on the ground has done a fantastic job, but we think having a distributor with closer ties to the NZ market could deliver additional benefits for the Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands."
The plan, said Whitehead, was to have the process concluded by the end of 2017. 
But, two years on there's still not been an official announcement regarding the distributorship – just much rumour and conjecture….with both Trucks & Trailers and Keith Andrews Trucks rumoured to be the leading contenders for the role.