Mercedes has imported one unit of the Sprinter van to India from Germany pointing towards a launch in our market this year.
With Mercedes having recently launched the E400 Cabriolet and the 2015 CLS facelift diesel in the country, all of us are well aware of the aggressive strategy that the company has planned this year as they aim to become the number one premium car manufacturer in India. Here at MotorBeam, we have been up to date with the trend Mercedes has been following with their 15 planned launches. Five of Mercedes’ launches were initially imported to India for testing purposes before they were launched and we have kept a keen eye on the same trend to get to know the brand’s other launches for our country.
In regards to the same, Mercedes has just imported one unit of the Sprinter. For those of you who don’t know about the Sprinter, well then firstly, it ain’t a car per say. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a vehicle built by Diamler AG of Stuttgart, Germany and is termed as a van, chassis cab or minibus. Basically a mass mover, the Sprinter is very famous across the world and is also re-badged and sold by Volkswagen as the Crafter. The vehicle is primarily designed for business purposes and not for private usage.
According to import data, the imported Mercedes Sprinter is a brown coloured 2014 model and carries a 2143cc, turbo diesel engine mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle has been brought in from Germany, most probably from Stuttgart as its manufactured there. It features several driver assistance technologies including standard crosswind assist, optional blind spot assist, collision prevention assist, as well as lane keeping assist and highbeam assist.
Mercedes might be contemplating to launch the Sprinter van in India to cater to different business purposes such as a premium traveler and so on. We cannot actually determine at the moment that how the Sprinter will fare in the Indian market as its story primarily depends on its price tag. But we are sure that Mercedes is taking a good calculated decision by deciding to bring in the vehicle for testing purposes, followed by a launch in India sometime in the near future.
Source – Zauba.com
Update – The Mercedes Sprinter hasn’t been imported for testing or launch, it was bought by a famous South Indian actor.