Daimler Adds Sprinter to Mercedes-Benz Lineup, Drops Dodge

For years, there have been conversion kits for the Dodge Sprinter to make it appear more like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter sold throughout Europe. Of course, the only advantage of doing so is to have Mercedes-Benz’s iconic three-point star in the grille adding a more luxurious look to the cargo and passenger van. Starting on Jan. 1, 2010, Daimler AG will stop offering the Sprinter under the Dodge name and begin selling it under the Mercedes-Benz brand. This move will be one more step in the complete separation between the German automaker and what is now the post-bankruptcy Chrysler Group. The European-designed full-size van will continue to be offered under Daimler’s Freightliner division, which has offered the van in the U.S. since 2001.

During the height of the DaimlerChrysler era, the Chrysler group replaced its uncompetitive Ram Van with the Sprinter in 2003. It turns out that the Sprinter’s diesel engine and unique vehicle design gave it a distinct advantage for hauling cargo and became a favorite of companies such as FedEx over the Ford E-Series and the Chevrolet Express. At its peak, the Dodge sold almost 22,000 Sprinters in 2006 while Freightliner accounted for an additional 2,500 units. As is the case with the current second-generation Dodge and Freightliner Sprinter, the Mercedes-Benz will be a complete knockdown (CKD) meaning that it is partially assembled in Germany, broken down and shipped to Ladsen, S.C. for complete reassembly including the drivertrain.

Taking the place of the 350 Dodge dealerships certified to sell and service the Sprinter vans, Mercedes-Benz will offer sales and service through 120 specialized Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, said that the reasoning behind the not offering it as a Mercedes-Benz back in 2001 was that the Sprinter was somewhat obscure, but now that it is established in the market it is enough to convert back to the Mercedes-Benz brand. One thing that will be seen following the jump from Dodge to Mercedes is how Mercedes-Benz’s luxury-minded consumers will react to the large, bulky Sprinter vans sitting on the same lot as the S-Class and GL-Class.

In addition to joining the Mercedes-Benz lineup in the U.S., the 2010 Sprinter will also offer a new 3.0-liter V-6 common rail diesel, which in the BlueTEC versions of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class and GL-Class is 50-state legal. The new engine should be more powerful and offer better torque and fuel economy compared to the 2009 Dodge Sprinter’s diesel engine. The bigger and boxier second-generation Sprinter made its debut in 2006, so other than the new engine we don’t expect any other changes in the lineup. Like the current Dodge Sprinter, the Mercedes-Benz will likely be available in three configurations (passenger van, cargo van and chassis cab) with impressive capabilities including up to 600 cubic feet of cargo volume and a maximum gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of up to 11,030 pounds.

As for Chrysler, which is now partially owned by Italy’s Fiat, the automaker is looking into the possibility of filling the Sprinter’s place with Fiat-based commercial vehicles. In most markets outside the U.S., Fiat offers a wide range of commercial vehicles that would fit in nicely in Dodge’s lineup including the Doblò Cargo (a vehicle that would give the Ford's hot-selling Transit Connect a run for its money) or the full-size Ducato and Iveco Daily. Regardless of which vehicles end up replacing the Sprinter, they will definitely be branded under one of the Chrysler Group's nameplates since the only vehicle that is expected to carry the Italian company's logo when it comes to the U.S. is the compact Fiat 500 – all other vehicles shared between Fiat and Chrysler will be branded as Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep models.