Next-gen Mercedes eSprinter arriving soon

KUALA LUMPUR: The ongoing Mercedes eSprinter is limited to the European market, as it fails to meet the performance and safety specs requirement of the US and Canada market. However, things are about to change with the arrival of the next-gen model for this zero-emission van.

The upcoming Mercedes eSprinter will underpin the new Electric Versatility Platform that will help the fully electric van to enter the American shores. Further, the automaker also announced that the next eSprinter will be manufactured in three locations, one being the US itself.

The US-spec eSprinter van will be built in North Charleston, South Carolina. Another manufacturing location will be Germany. The US-based plant has been building the Mercedes Sprinter and Metris van for 15 years now, and it expanded part-by-part production for the van in 2018.

Arnhelm Mittelbach, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC said, "Our North Charleston plant will be the first to bring the next generation of the eSprinter to the United States." He further stated that, "We are proud that we have earned the trust of the company to produce this vehicle as an important pillar of the Mercedes-Benz Vans production network. We are also grateful for the continued support from the state of South Carolina and Charleston County in the development of our facility and our team who have worked hard to reach this milestone in our growth. The next generation eSprinter will support a sustainable future for the company and the environment, and we look forward to this investment in our Charleston team and facility."

The production of the next-gen eSprinter will begin by the second half of 2023 and Mercedes has been making quite a few investments to make it happen. For instance, the automaker invested €50 million (around RM 243 million) on each factory for the adjustment of production and €350 million (around RM 1704 million) on the new Electric Versatility Platform that as mentioned will support the new eSprinter.

In addition to the next-gen eSprinter production announcement, Mercedes also mentioned that by 2022, the brand's passenger car and van facility will become CO2-neutral globally in line with Ambition 2039 targets.

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