Mercedes-Benz T-Class teaser pic released

A teaser pic issued by Mercedes-Benz overnight reveals that the prestige brand has a successor planed for its Citan Traveliner, a five-seat MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) based on the Citan van. The new vehicle will be marketed as the Mercedes-Benz T-Class, a model currently under development for a global launch in 2022.

Mercedes-Benz says that the T-Class is “completely new” and will share its platform with the second generation of Citan, which remains based on the Renault Kangoo. What the manufacturer aims to do with the T-Class is cater for families and “leisure enthusiasts” in a package much like the Citan Traveliner, the MPV version of the goods-carrying Citan.

"With the new Mercedes-Benz T-Class, we will offer a vehicle which makes it possible for families and those with active pastimes to step into the Mercedes-Benz world. These customers seek attractive and practical compact vehicles – and it is precisely these demands which the new T-Class fulfils", says Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.

When it hits the global market, the T-Class will be offered with a sliding door on both sides for access to the rear seats, but Benz is admitting little else about the T-Class, other than the probability that the mini people mover will be driven by a range of internal-combustion and electric powertrains. One aspect of the T-Class that is interesting to note from the teaser pic is its roofline and waist, which suggests styling and construction could be more passenger-vehicle-oriented than the commercial Citan.

Blake Vincent, PR and Corporate Communications Manager for Mercedes-Benz Vans in Australia, has told carsales that there’s “no decision yet” on importation of either the Citan van or the T-Class.

“It will depend on the spec that we can get for our market,” he said, noting too that the prestige brand has to ensure that sales volumes will justify the cost of ADR homologation and marketing.