Mercedes-Benz to launch luxury electric van for Chinese market

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Mercedes-Benz is planning to launch a luxury electric van for the Chinese market based on its VAN.EA platform, the head of the carmaker’s vans division told German magazine WirtschaftsWoche.

“A super-luxury variant, so to speak. We want to significantly increase our sales share in China,” Mathias Geisen was quoted as saying. “In China, demand for vans is growing rapidly, especially in the luxury segment.”

Geisen did not give further details on the van or the timing.

He confirmed the van division’s 2024 outlook for a 12%-14% margin on sales, ahead of quarterly results scheduled for April 30.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz Vans sold a record 447,800 vehicles and achieved an adjusted return on sales of 15.1%.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)