At a ceremony attended by United States Senator (R-South Carolina) Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and other dignitaries on Wednesday, July 27, Mercedes-Benz USA Vans officially broke ground on a new $500-million Sprinter manufacturing plant in North Charleston, S.C. U.S.-based production of the company’s vans solidifies Mercedes-Benz Vans’ commitment to the North American van market.
When it first arrived on U.S. shores in 2001, the Sprinter operated under either Freightliner or Dodge badges. After Daimler divorced Chrysler in 2007, the German automaker reintroduced the versatile van under the Mercedes-Benz name starting in 2010.
Since then, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has experienced five consecutive years of record growth as part of the company’s lineup. In 2015, Mercedes-Benz USA Vans sold 28,500 units in the United States, an 11 percent increase from 2014. According to Bernie Glaser, vice president and managing director of Mercedes-Benz USA Vans, 2016 year-to-date Sprinter sales through June are up another 16.5 percent. “We are on track to set another record in our sixth year,” said Glaser.
Bolstered by strong sales and wider market acceptance in the North American market, Mercedes-Benz Vans says now is the right time to build a full-fledged Sprinter production facility using the company’s global footprint strategy. Currently, the Sprinter van and its Metris sibling are produced in Düsseldorf, Germany, disassembled and shipped to North Charleston plant for reassembly, an inefficient but necessary process to avoid the 25 percent “chicken tax” tariff.
“After five years of growth, customers are keen to have these types of products and in the future we see appropriate growth, and that gives us clear relief that now is the time to build a manufacturing facility in the U.S. market,” said Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “Establishing local Sprinter production in the United States is only logical. With this new plant we take a big leap into the future production of Mercedes-Ben Vans. This factory will be one of the most advanced automotive plants in North America and will allow us to continue to meet our customers’ changing needs.”
The new production facility, adjacent to the existing Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Metris reassembly facility and will directly employ up to 1,300 workers and will create an additional 400 jobs at local suppliers.
“The Sprinter assembly plant is already a magnificent facility,” said South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, during the groundbreaking ceremony. “The idea that Mercedes-Benz Vans chose South Carolina to be its only spot in the United States to manufacture these vans of excellence is huge for our state.”
