Next-generation Mercedes eSprinter delayed

As Mercedes-Benz prepares to launch the latest generation of the eSprinter cargo van in the U.S. later this year, the next generation of the battery-powered commercial vehicle is delayed.

U.S. production of the next generation will shift to summer 2028 from late 2026, according to a person briefed on the matter, and European production of the eSprinter will be similarly delayed.

A Mercedes spokeswoman declined to comment on future product plans.

Mercedes will build the next version of the eSprinter on a modular new platform called VAN.EA (MB Vans Electric Architecture). That architecture will yield medium and large electric commercial vans starting from the middle of the decade possibly with the Mercedes EQV passenger van.

Production of that next-generation eSprinter at Mercedes' Dusseldorf, Germany, factory is delayed nearly two years, with a new start date of first quarter 2028 from May 2026, said the source, who requested he not be identified.

Meanwhile, additional eSprinter production at a new electric-only van factory in Jawor, Poland, that was scheduled to start in November 2026 is now pushed to summer 2027.

The Polish plant was to produce two models, one based on the VAN.EA platform and the other a second-generation electric van from U.S. EV startup Rivian on the Rivian Light Van electric platform. But the European joint venture between Mercedes and Rivian was paused late last year.

Mercedes is now building the Jawor factory on its own.