A new Mercedes Sprinter van is coming, and it looks slick
Well, as amazing as a cargo van can be, anyhow.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a global phenomenon, selling like hotcakes in a variety of markets around the world. Thus, it's more than your average deal when it comes to the automaker building a brand new one.
Mercedes-Benz Vans plans to launch the all-new Sprinter in Europe in the first half of 2018, with other markets following shortly thereafter. There hasn't been an official unveiling yet -- just this rendering, which gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect.
For a van, it looks pretty gnarly.
The front end sports new headlights and a revised fascia, and the side looks a bit smoother than before. Those two parts share a good bit of their aesthetics with the Mercedes-Benz Vision Van, a late-2016 concept that featured an electric drivetrain and enough tech to qualify as a mobile logistics center.
It's unlikely that the new Sprinter will take all the parts of the concept into account, but at the least, the company promises a vast complement of variants that will cater specifically to different sectors of business. Mercedes already did a bit of that in the US with its Sprinter Worker, an inexpensive van targeting contractors and other tradesmen.
One of the new Sprinter's biggest markets is expected to be the US, and Mercedes-Benz is making moves to help ensure its success. A new Sprinter plant is under construction in North Charleston, South Carolina, in order to both reduce delivery times to US customers and supply American buyers with that sweet, sweet "Made in the USA" sticker, which has grown in importance over the last year or two.
