Mercedes-Benz to build next-gen Sprinter in United States

Mercedes-Benz will build the next-generation Sprinter van in the United States, the company announced this week.

An investment of about $5,000,000 will go toward building a new van plant in Charleston, South Carolina that will employ more than 1,300 workers when it’s up and running; Benz says construction will begin next year.

This would be the brand’s second production facility in the U.S.; Benz currently builds its M-Class (soon-to-be GLE-Class), R-Class and GL-Class crossovers in Tuscaloosa, AL. Currently, the Sprinter is sold in North America by both the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands; the new plant will build both models.

Mercedes-Benz said it chose Charleston for the region’s “highly-skilled workers, dense network of reliable suppliers and a… logistics infrastructure (with) good connections to the nearby harbour.”

The latest addition to the Sprinter line is an all-wheel drive model, set to go on sale later this year, and Benz recently announced the smaller Metris van for the North American market.