During a roundtable discussion with North American journalists at the IAA 2014 truck show in Hanover, Germany, Mercedes-Benz executives said they expect strong growth in the large van market in the United States with its Sprinter offering.
Year-to-date through August, Mercedes-Benz van sales in the United States are up 21 percent, from 13,200 units to 16,000 units compared to the first eight months of 2013. According to Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, the overall large van market in the United States is up 16.8 percent from 170,400 units to 199,000 units.
Mercedes-Benz van sales have achieved double-digit growth in Western Europe (+16 percent) and China (+12 percent) in the same time period, but sales are declining in Latin America (-23 percent) and Eastern Europe (-3 percent) where local economies continue to struggle.
Sprinter gaining ground in North America
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been available in North America under a number of badges since it was first introduced in 2001, and the Euro-style van has challenged the traditional domestic vans in the marketplace, said Bernhard Glaser, president and managing director of commercial vans for Mercedes-Benz USA.
“We have had four years of consecutive growth in the United States with Sprinter, and we are up 22 percent year-to-date,” said Glaser. “The Sprinter is doing something right, and we have every intention to set yet another record in 2014.”
