Mercedes-Benz poised to unveil new Sprinter

Mercedes-Benz is on the cusp of revealing its latest Sprinter light commercial vehicle, with the brand set to raise the curtain on the new platform at its world premiere tomorrow (February 6) in Duisberg, Germany.

The brand has delivered a steady drip-feed of information on the new Sprinter in the lead-up to its unveiling, from the design sketch it released at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta last September , to the interior shots it released in December and, just last week, the image of the front of the vehicle and a teaser video clip.

Technology push
The new Sprinter ushers in the third generation of the platform and represents the first generational update since 2006, with the newcomer boasting fresh styling and a major boost in technology, from a WiFi hotspot to USB charging points to a new infotainment system.

The brand has said the new Sprinter will be "created in line with the adVANce future initiative with which Mercedes-Benz Van wishes to move away from being solely a vehicle manufacturer and towards becoming a provider of comprehensive transport and mobility solutions".

First announced in September 2016, the maker's adVANce initiative represents a 500 million Euro investment over five years to expand Mercedes-Benz Vans' expertise in digitalisation, automation and robotics, thereby boosting its growth strategy and helping it to develop new business models.

The initiative will see Mercedes-Benz vans integrated with the rapidly expanding Internet of Things, with increasingly sophisticated telematics systems across the board and automated inventory solutions for vans used as mobile service vehicles. Automated cargo space systems will speed loading and unloading, while the development of on-demand transport systems will lead to innovative leasing, rental and ridesharing models.

The new Sprinter to be unveiled tomorrow will feature a next-generation telematics system that Mercedes-Benz says offers "the ultimate in networking", with numerous features to help maximise efficiency and savings.

More car-like features
While Mercedes-Benz Vans has remained tight-lipped regarding specifics, the model is also said to have a low load compartment sill and numerous features more commonly found in the car world. Judging by the recent teaser video clip, these appear to include an electronic park brake, pushbutton starting and electric seat adjustment, among others.

An electric version of the van, the eSprinter, will become available next year, while local deliveries of the eVito - for which orders are already being taken - are set to commence in the second half of 2018.

The company has also said it will offer "an unprecedentedly wide range of variants which goes well beyond different bodies, wheelbases or load heights", allowing the model to be precisely adapted to a wider variety of applications.

The Sprinter is already available in vast range of formats, spanning different GVMs, wheelbases and roof heights. It's also available in van and minibus and both single-cab and dual-cab cab-chassis formats, in a rear-drive format. A four-wheel drive Sprinter is also available, as is an NGT (Natural Gas Technology) version.

Engine options currently run to a 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel in three power ratings (70kW/250Nm, 95kW/305Nm and 120kW/360Nm) and a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel (140kW/440Nm). Existing transmission options include a six-speed manual, a five-speed automatic, and a seven-speed 7G-TRONIC automatic.

Given the strong emphasis on safety common throughout the Mercedes-Benz passenger car, LCV and truck ranges, it's likely the new Sprinter will also feature an upgrade in its active and passive safety systems. The existing Sprinter already benefits from a raft of such systems, either as options or as standard, including stability control with traction control, Load Adaptive Control, and rollover mitigation, plus Collision Prevention Assist, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and Crosswind Assist. The new Sprinter could potentially benefit from more of these systems as standard - or from enhanced or even all-new systems.

Global powerhouse
The importance of the Sprinter on the global commercial vehicle stage should not be underestimated. With an increasing trend towards urbanisation and the rapidly expanding sphere of e-commerce, 'last mile delivery' as it's known - or moving goods from distribution centres to their final destination - is becoming increasingly important, and it's that part of the supply chain that the Sprinter, and its smaller Vito sibling, call home.

The Sprinter dominates the large van/cab-chassis segment in many markets around the globe, including Australia. In fact, here some 2903 new Sprinters were registered in 2017 (FCAI VFACTS data), delivering a leading market share of 35.2 per cent of large van market (vehicles with a GVM of 3501-8000 kilograms, excluding trucks).

However, the Sprinter has come under increasing pressure in recent years due to a major push from French rival Renault - a total of 1636 examples of its Master van and cab-chassis were registered here last year, securing second place in the segment with a 19.8 per cent share.

Indeed, the Sprinter is one of the last models in this segment to come in for an update, with new generations of Iveco's Daily, Ford's Transit and an updated Fiat Ducato all coming on line in the last few years. Iveco achieved a 14.6 per cent share of the Australian large van/cab-chassis market last year, followed by Fiat (14.1 per cent) and Ford (10.6 per cent).

Volkswagen's Crafter, which was once built in the same Daimler-owned Dusseldorf and Ludwigsfeld production facilities as the Sprinter (but is now produced in Poland), rounds out the segment with a 5.7 per cent share of the local market.

We'll bring you full technical details, images and video of the third-generation shortly, once the curtain has been raised on the new Sprinter in Germany tomorrow night.