Mercedes Sprinter van sales in America are up by 94% in 2011, according to a triumphant recent news release from Mercedes-Benz. Here’s what Left Lane News said about the 2011 Sprinter sales figures:
“The exact final tally came in at 16,577 vans, up from 8,559 in 2010. While that figure may still be low compared to the top-selling Ford E-Series van, it does hint not only at serious momentum for the Sprinter brand, but possibly for the U.S. economy as well.
“Our strong, diverse network of 185 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner commercial van dealers spread across the U.S. has enjoyed a banner year of Sprinter van sales. From large fleet operators to small construction businesses and mom-and-pop food trucks, American consumers are discovering the incredible benefits of Sprinter vans,” said Claus Tritt, GM of commercial vans for Mercedes-Benz USA.
While vans in general aren’t typically the most exciting vehicles, particularly those intended largely for work environments, when sales for these types of vehicles take off like they did for the Sprinter van, it likely indicates positive changes in an otherwise down economy as companies get out and invest big money (pricing starts in the mid-$30,000 range) into new work vehicles.”
And the official news release was also online at eMercedesBenz. From that piece:
“Proving itself as a popular option, sales of Sprinter vans increased an impressive 94 percent for calendar year 2011. In only its second year of operation, Daimler Vans USA and its combined network of both Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter dealers achieved a total of 16,577 vans sold, far surpassing the 2010 result of 8,559. The Mercedes-Benz network alone saw an increase of 172%…Both MBUSA and Freightliner are divisions of Daimler AG, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles.”
The piece also notes that all Sprinters are now powered by a 3.0-liter BlueTEC diesel engine, which is claimed to get 24.9 mpg on the highway. That the current turbodiesel engine actually gets better mileage than the older OM642 plus better horsepower and torque seems pretty impressive, if all three of these claims are to be believed. The older 2007-2009 Sprinters with the 3.0-liter OM642 were rated at 154 hp and 280 ft-lbs of torque, and the 2010-present Sprinters with the 3.0-liter OM642 are now rated at 188 hp and 325 ft-lbs of torque, and use the “BlueTec” system of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with DEF fluid to meet EPA emissions regulations, instead of just the earlier diesel particulate filter (DPF) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) setup.
For all of you north of the US, the Globe & Mail notes that there are plenty of Sprinters at Canadian Mercedes dealerships now too: “At this point, 49 of 53 Canadian Mercedes-Benz dealerships sell Sprinters, and 43 service them. By the end of 2012, the company hopes to add two more as sales outlets and four as service points…
Global revenues from 2010 underline the significance of trucks and vans to the company. Car sales accounted for €53.4-million, trucks €24-million, vans €7.8-million and buses €4.6-million.”
In this RVBusiness interview, Claus Tritt mentions that this increase in sales is spurring MB USA to sign up more Sprinter dealers: “Now, in addition to 61 Freightliner retailers, some 123 MBUSA dealers have been handling the Sprinter since 2010 in passenger, cargo and RV applications. “It’s a select dealer network,” says Claus Tritt, general manager of commercial vans for MBUSA. “Our network plan going forward is to end up in 2012 with 220 (dealers) or so.”
ASKING YOUR FEEDBACK: What do you think, does this sales increase mean that the US economy is improving? Or that Mercedes has more Sprinter ads & press out in North America now?
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