According to a recent Fleet News article, CAP residual price data show that buyers will pay up to 7.5% more for a Citroen Nemo than a Peugeot Bipper — even though the two are simply rebadged versions of the same van.

According to CAP, it’s a similar story with the Mercedes-Benz Citan, which can command used prices of up to 20% more than its sibling, the Renault Kangoo.

The prestige of the Mercedes-Benz brand complements Celtic Manor’s five-star ethos in a way that few others could, according to the company.

Given fleets’ must of necessity focus on minimising the total cost of ownership, this would seem to mean — broadly speaking — that manufacturers with weaker residual values must sell their vans for less, if they are to be competitive on cost terms.

Even this isn’t enough, however, as many buyers would prefer the status offered by prestige brands such as Mercedes and Volkswagen, and aren’t bothered about the additional upfront cost, as they are confident they will recoup it through potential reliability savings (even if these are illusory) and, more tangibly, through stronger residual values.

This phenomenon was nicely illustrated by a press release which dropped into my inbox today.

The Celtic Manor Resort, near Newport, in Wales, is a 2,000 acre golf, spa and hotel complex that prides itself on delivering a true five star service. Celtic Manor was the first Welsh venue to host golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup, and this year it will play host to the 2014 NATO Summit.

The size of the estate means that a minibus service is required to transport guests between locations — and the estate’s minibus fleet is expected to reflect its five-star ethos, as Transport Manager Tim Fosdick explains:

“Celtic Manor is a five-star venue, so naturally we want to operate five-star vehicles that reflect and complement our own brand image – when it comes to light commercial vehicles that can only mean Mercedes-Benz.”

Celtic Manor has recently taken delivery of three 17-seat Sprinter 513 CDIs and a pair of nine-seat Vito 116 CDIs, all in factory-built Traveliner specification, and replace a previous Mercedes-Benz fleet. Although they will primarily operate on ‘local’ work, within the bounds of the estate, mileage and wear can be considerable, according to Mr Fosdick:

“Make no mistake, though, these are working vehicles and they will lead hard lives. Each is contracted to cover 40,000 miles per year and we have some very steep hills at Celtic Manor, which means a lot of gear changing and wear and tear on the driveline and brakes as we ferry golfers and diners around the various facilities.

“Previous experience has proved that the Mercedes-Benz Traveliner offers the build quality, engineering integrity and reliability to withstand this demanding regime, as well as being very economical to operate.”

And there you have it: brand matters in the LCV sector.

The Mercedes brand has been built up over more than 100 years, and it’s very hard to see how any of the firm’s peers will topple it in my lifetime.