Daimler management and employee representatives at Mercedes-Benz have struck an agreement to build the next generation eSprinter van, which is based on the newly developed Electric Versatility Platform, at three locations: North Charleston, South Carolina, Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde in Germany.
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Based on a new platform announced at the end of 2020, the new eSprinter targets new customer segments and markets, including the US and Canada.
Mercedes-Benz is spending around EUR350m on the new model and plant conversion and retraining is currently in preparation.
Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: "With production… in the US and in Germany, we ensure market-oriented production."
Production chief Ingo Ettischer added: "We will invest around EUR50m in each of the three plants. We will start production successively from the second half of 2023."
The current eSprinter is built in Düsseldorf on one line with conventionally driven models. The same technique will be used at Charleston (a CKD assembly operation) and Ludwigsfelde.
The new line will include cab/chassis variants as well as vans.
What's next for the Automotive industry?
- The forces transitioning automotive to mobility servicesÂ
- CASE megatrends, and their relationship with COVID-19Â
- The way forward for autonomous vehiclesÂ
- Sustainability issues in automotiveÂ