Mercedes introduces new Sprinter Panel Van

VNBusinessNews - Mercedes-Benz Vietnam, MBV, is set to launch the new Sprinter Panel Van, a cargo carrier of the Sprinter family with great success in Europe, on the Vietnamese market from today via its Autohaus dealers.

Udo Loersch, MBV General Director, said that the Sprinter continues to be the most popular cargo vehicle with 1,140 units sold in 2008. “This year, we would like to add the new Sprinter Panel Van at an affordable price to further satisfy diversifying transportation demand,” Loersch said. “I believe that this market segment has substantial potential.”

Targeted customers of the new Panel Van are cargo transporters, supermarkets, electronic appliance centres, hotels (outside catering), postal companies, banks and hospitals.

Eight cubic meters of goods can be transported by the van at a time - Photos: Courtesy of MBV
These customers need higher-quality vans with generous storage, safety, high performance, fuel efficiency and reasonable prices, all of which are available in the Sprinter Panel Van.

Convenience: transporting eight cubic meters of goods round the clock

The vehicle retains its traditional Sprinter exterior while the cargo compartment has a loading capacity of over eight cubic meters with removable wood panels for efficient packing and added protection of the cargo and the interior body work.

With double-wing rear wall doors that open 270 degrees, loading and unloading become an easy job.

The vehicle features advanced equipment rarely found in commercial vehicles including CD/MP3 player, front air-conditioning, anti-lock braking system (ABS), driver airbag and Acceleration-skid Regulation (ASR).

The state-of-the-art 2.2 litre CDI diesel engine gives a smooth and powerful performance with its 109 horsepower and 270Nm torque yet remains fuel efficient.

One of the noticeable conveniences is that this type of van can operate in inner-city areas round the clock as it is not affected by the regulations that restrict truck traffic on the inner-city streets.

Mercedes-Benz Vietnam is offering the Sprinter Panel Van at an attractive price of US$30,690, including value-added tax.

Successful in passenger van segment

Targeting the hospitality and tourism industries, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam also takes the occasion to launch the new 16-seat Sprinter mini-bus in black, a classy image for hotels and resorts to transport guests, and with leather seats.

Last year was most successful for Sprinter vehicles with 166,000 units sold worldwide. In recent years, Mercedes-Benz Commercial vehicles have won prizes in Europe. “The most popular brand in Germany” in 2008 was voted by readers of Verkehrs-Rundschau magazine. Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including Sprinter, achieved 5 top positions in the ETM Verlag’s readers’ poll for “The best commercial vehicles.”

Since the VAT on automobiles was halved from 10% to 5% early this month, MBV has reduced the prices of various types of vehicle by between US$2,000 and US$10,000 per unit.

“We want to bring benefits to customers at the highest level whenever possible,” said Loersch. “This is why we have made a new price list even more attractive than the reduction of the VAT.”

The Government also plans to cut taxes on imported car accessories and components.

MBV is confident about its wide selection and competitive prices and is building a new assembly line for one of its newest SUV models.

While February may herald a glimmer hope for automakers, January was a headache. The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association reported that in January its 16 members sold 3,800 vehicles, down 68% year on year.

Toyota Vietnam sold over 1,000 units in January, 27.5% of the industry’s total, but this was down 42% year-on-year. In order of sales volume last month, GM Daewoo came first with 511 units sold, 13.3% of the total, followed by Vinamotor with 373 units, Truong Hai with 354 units, Ford Vietnam with 350 units, Vinaxuki with 309 units, Honda Viet Nam with 305 units and Mercedes-Benz Vietnam with 132 units. (SGT)

Source: http://www.vnbusinessnews.com/2009/02/mercedes-introduces-new-sprinter-panel.html