Daimler to Shift Some Sprinter Production to N. America

Daimler AG says it will manufacturing an undisclosed number of next-generation Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans somewhere in North America, perhaps as early as next year.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Daimler sold about 23,000 Sprinters in the U.S. in 2013. The company assembles current-generation models in South Carolina from kits imported from Germany.

To avoid tariffs, the kits are created from completed Sprinter vans that are partly dismantled, shipped to the U.S. and reassembled locally. The inefficient process is acceptable for low volumes. But Daimler says it must establish local production to meet growing demand.

Most Sprinter production will remain in Germany. Daimler is spending €450 million to prepare its Sprinter factories in Dusseldorf and Ludwigsfelde for the new model. The two facilities, which have been building the van in thousands of variations for years, presently make about 200,000 large vans annually.