Genuinely one among my favourite issues about touring to Europe is attending to trip in Mercedes-Benz V-Class vans. The V-Class is the passenger model of the Metris industrial van we get within the U.S., and they’re critically luxurious. Some variations have a rear-facing second row of seats that makes conversing with your pals straightforward whereas others have fancy captain’s chairs, and the V-Class has all the posh options you’d count on from a Benz. They’re approach higher to trip in than one thing like an Escalade or a typical luxurious sedan, particularly for those who’re with a gaggle of individuals. Fortunately, the U.S. will lastly get the V-Class with the totally electrical next-generation mannequin, which Mercedes is now teasing for the primary time.
The following V-Class will use Mercedes’ new VAN.EA platform, a modular electrical structure that may underpin each new Mercedes van, each industrial and passenger fashions. The V-Class would be the first one to debut in 2026, although its Metris (or Vito in Europe) sibling will doubtless be revealed alongside it or observe quickly after. Because the VAN.EA platform is “versatile and scalable,” it’ll be used for the smaller Citan and T-Class and the big and massively widespread Sprinter fashions, too. Each front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive will likely be provided.
Mercedes launched a handful of images of a camouflaged V-Class prototype, and it appears like, effectively, a van, albeit a sleeker and more energizing one. The window glazing appears extra flush than the present V-Class, and it has different options like an built-in spoiler, pop-out door handles and clean underbody to eke out essentially the most vary. We are able to see that the V-Class can have a large grille like the just lately facelifted V-Class and EQV, and hopefully it’ll be provided with Mercedes’ standing star hood decoration like these fashions too.
The VAN.EA platform will “enable for a transparent distinction between privately positioned vans within the luxurious section and industrial vans inside the premium section,” in keeping with Mercedes, with the previous class together with “VIP shuttles to luxurious and spacious limousines tailor-made for patrons with the best calls for.” Not solely will there nonetheless be an expensive V-Class mannequin that’s completely suited to be a high-end taxi, lodge shuttle or household automobile, however Mercedes will lastly be making a Maybach mannequin from the manufacturing facility.
Aftermarket fake Maybach conversions for Metrises and V-Courses have turning into more and more widespread in recent times, particularly within the U.S., and Mercedes is seeking to money in on that demand. Hell, Kim Kardashian owns one! Earlier this 12 months on the eSprinter drive occasion I chatted with an exec from Benz’s vans division who mentioned the objective isn’t to take advantage of luxurious van attainable, however essentially the most luxurious automobile, interval. The van form will enable designers and engineers to essentially maximize the quantity of lounge house, much more so than what you get in a Maybach S-Class or GLS. Such ultra-luxury vans have develop into mega widespread in China, the place some even have partitions with big TV screens and lodging that rival the perfect personal jets.
Earlier this summer time Mercedes took a specifically constructed prototype from Stuttgart to the North Cape to check the VAN.EA’s battery, chassis and powertrain. Present street testing is specializing in “the interplay of all parts inside the automobile,” and subsequent up will likely be winter testing in Sweden. Mercedes hasn’t mentioned precisely when the V-Class will debut, solely that will probably be popping out in 2026, so a reveal may occur in some unspecified time in the future subsequent 12 months.
