Mercedes-Benz Vans Discontinues Exclusive Focus on EVs, Unveils New ICE Platform | Carscoops

      The new VAN.CA platform is expected to lead to ICE-powered Sprinters, Vitos, and V-Classes.

      Mercedes-Benz Vans has decided not to proceed with plans for an exclusive electric lineup.

      Instead, the company will provide ICE-powered models based on the new VAN.CA platform, which shares significant elements with the electric-only VAN.EA platform, achieving 70% parts commonality.

      Previously, Mercedes-Benz Vans had aimed for a “fully electric future,” intending to build all models on the VAN.EA (Van Electric Architecture) platform, with a rollout planned for 2026. Prototypes of various kinds had already been captured by spy photographers.

      However, the company has now chosen to abandon this electric-only vision. In response to customer demands, Mercedes-Benz Vans is committing to offer a range of models equipped with advanced combustion engines.

      Mercedes is set to introduce 19 new ICE models and 17 EV models that will move away from the egg-shaped design by 2027.

      Since the VAN.EA platform was specifically created for battery electric vehicles, Mercedes had to develop a distinct architecture called VAN.CA (Van Combustion Architecture), which draws heavily from VAN.EA.

      While specific details were not provided, the platforms are said to share about 70% of their components and can be manufactured on the same production line, which will help mitigate the financial ramifications of their pivot away from an electric-only strategy.

      The development costs associated with this new platform have not been disclosed, though this expenditure was not part of Mercedes' initial plans. Given the slower-than-anticipated adoption of electric vehicles, this shift may have been foreseeable.

      To illustrate, Mercedes-Benz USA sold 49,573 vans in the U.S. last year, but merely 828 were eSprinters. Orders for the electric van opened last February at a price of $71,866, but the response was lukewarm. The upcoming 2025 model, however, is more economically priced, starting at $61,180.

      With both ICE and EV options available, Mercedes-Benz Vans asserts that they are “securing a competitive market position for the future,” highlighting that the two platforms provide them with a “maximally flexible product portfolio.”