Mercedes-Benz to Discontinue Freightliner Sprinter Van

Freightliner

[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]

Mercedes-Benz AG announced the Freightliner Sprinter van will be discontinued and all retail sales completed by Dec. 31, 2021.

The plant in Charleston, S.C., where the Freightliner model is assembled will remain open to produce Mercedes-Benz vans. Freightliner is a brand of Daimler Trucks North America.

Mercedes-Benz “has decided to discontinue distribution of the Freightliner Sprinter product in the U.S. market at the conclusion of the 2021 model year,” the company said in a statement. “This decision was made after much careful consideration of a number of factors. Specifically, the high homologation [certification and approval] costs for a single-market, low-volume product as the U.S.-only Freightliner Sprinter were central to this decision.”

From four factories on three continents for the world – the #MercedesBenz #Sprinter has been the success model from #MercedesBenzVans for 25 years now, and is a flagship in the van business. Read more here: https://t.co/bcJ1KzN9SH pic.twitter.com/q0xn4bQSGy — Mercedes-Benz Press (@MB_Press) August 19, 2020

It added that sales of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter account for the majority of Sprinter sales.

The move comes just days after parent company Daimler posted an online article highlighting the Sprinter as the “flagship in the van business” with nearly 4 million sold worldwide since its introduction in 1995.

The third-generation Sprinter went into production in September 2018 in Charleston, where the midsize Metris has been assembled on another line since 2015. The expanded plant employs around 1,700 people.

“Freightliner customers can continue to rely on the first-class service to which they are accustomed, and Freightliner is working with its current dealers to provide continued warranty services,” a company spokesman said. — Transport Topics

Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing: