SEVEN-MILLIONTH COMMERCIAL VAN GOES TO A BAKER IN SAXONY
Mercedes‑Benz Vans is celebrating an important milestone: the world’s seven millionth commercial van, an eSprinter, was handed over to a customer in Germany. The jubilee customer was the Taube bakery in Oschatz, Saxony, a third-generation family business. The hand-over venue was the local car dealership of the Mercedes‑Benz partner, GRUMA Automobile GmbH. Mercedes‑Benz has been producing vans for commercial use for a long time. The current range for commercial operation consists of its best-seller, the Sprinter, plus the Vito and the Citan and the battery-driven electric variants eSprinter, eVito and as of this year the eCitan.
“Seven million vans sold in 30 years, that’s a huge success,” said Klaus Rehkugler, Head of Mercedes‑Benz Vans Sales and Marketing. “The jubilee vehicle is one of our best selling items for good reason: our Sprinter has been demonstrating its worth in the large van segment since 1995. It’s now in the third generation and has also been available with electric drive since 2019. That’s why we’re delighted that the Taube family business has opted for our eSprinter and will now also be in a position to offer its drivers and customers all the advantages that locally emission-free driving with our impressive Mercedes‑Benz Vans provides. In 2022 we want to continue the success story of our vans and convince many more customers.”
Nils Taube, the owner of Taube bakery: “We’re proud we can expand our fleet with the eSprinter. It’s another step in the right direction for our company’s philosophy, which is to place value on sustainability and quality. In addition to our photovoltaic system for our company’s electricity and to our regional products, our delivery service to our 15 sales outlets can now be environmentally friendly as well, using our first electric vehicle. This means that together with our 84 employees we are taking a further step into the future of our long-standing company that was founded in 1891.”
Seven million vans since 1992
Back in 1896, the Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik (Gas Motor Factory) Benz & Cie extended its product range by a delivery waggon, which was the very first commercial van. Since the premiere of the first “Benz” delivery van, Mercedes‑Benz has been constantly developing vans further and bringing new models onto the market. Now, the portfolio of commercial vans covers the three segments of the small, midsize and large vans, with the Citan, Vito and Sprinter and their electric variants. Since counting of these models started in 1992, seven million commercial vans have been delivered to customers – a success to be proud of.
All three model series, whether as panel vans for transporting all types of goods, as a tourer for transporting passengers, or as numerous other variants, are extremely popular. The core markets in Europe are Germany, the UK, France and Spain. The Sprinter also commands a powerful market in the USA, where the Vito is sold as the Metris. In China sales of the Vito increased considerably in 2021 compared to the previous year.
The jubilee vehicle: the Mercedes‑Benz eSprinter – a locally emission-free delivery expert that is truly customer oriented
The first Sprinter was launched on the market in 1995, making it the oldest model in the current product portfolio. Since 2003, the Vito has been available in the midsize segment and since 2012 the smallest representative from Mercedes-Benz Vans – the small van Citan – has been available. The first eSprinter rolled off the assembly line in Düsseldorf at the end of 2019. With the electrified version of the all-rounder, Mercedes-Benz is addressing the changing requirements of society, customers and partners that trend towards sustainable mobility. The eSprinter Panel Van with a permissible gross weight of 3500 kilogrammes in the high roof version is equipped with an integrated fast-charging function for recharging the battery from 10 to 80 percent in around 25 minutes[1]. The load volume of 11 m³ is available in its entirety as the batteries are installed in the vehicle’s underfloor. The electric drive drives the front wheels with an output of 85 kW and a torque figure of up to 295 Nm.
The Sprinter and eSprinter are highly popular among customers in many lines of business – whether these are courier, express and parcel services, construction companies, or, in the case of the Taube bakery, small or medium-size trades. In 2021, Mercedes‑Benz delivered more than 215,000 Sprinter and eSprinter to customers.
[1] Minimum charging time from 10 to 80 % under optimal conditions at a DC charging station with a 400 volt supply, 300 A current; the charging time may vary depending on various factors, such as ambient and battery temperature as well as whether additional auxiliary consumers are in use, e.g. heating.
