MERCEDES-BENZ has chosen Bluewater for its first British showroom in a retail centre.

The German car manufacturer has created 17 jobs by choosing the shopping centre, near Dartford, for an interesting experiment in car selling. The company is taking cars to the people rather than waiting for them to visit an out-of-town showroom.

If the experiment works, it has plans to open showrooms at other large shopping centres across the country.

"We are challenging the way car retailing has been done by most dealers," said spokesman Geoff Brady. "Twenty-eight million people come to Bluewater every year and we want to be where the public can interact with us."

Mr Brady said that if the Bluewater showroom proved successful, up to 20 similar outlets could be opened across the UK.

"This is a laboratory and the budget has simply been set at break-even. I think we will do a lot better than that."

Scores of visitors turned up for the official opening. Within the first 30 minutes, sales staff had taken an order for a £15,990 Smart Cascade - a model similar to one driven by pop superstar Robbie Williams.

The new showroom boasted the most expensive item in Bluewater - a £78,000 S-Class model for which there is a three-year waiting list. But for those unable to pay that sort of money, £3.50 key rings are also on sale.

Mercedes-Benz has also leased eight parking spaces at Bluewater to accommodate test-drive cars. They can be driven over a three-mile circuit within the Bluewater complex.