Mercedes-Benz USA said yesterday it will build a new
flagship sales and service center under a 918-unit, $700 million luxury
condominium proposed by developer Two Trees Management. The dealership, which would cost $220 million, would
take up the first two floors of the building and three underground
levels on 11th Avenue
between 53rd and 54th streets, and is intended to replace the current
Mercedes
dealership near the eastern entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. The move
comes as the company’s U.S.
sales are down 4.7 percent this year and declined 24.5 percent in
October, but
a spokeswoman said the company expects the economy to rebound before
the new
dealership opens in 2011.