Daimler : Mercedes-Benz at the Caravan Salon 2021 with ‘big’ and ‘small’ highlights

Stuttgart/Düsseldorf. At the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, Mercedes-Benz will once again be present with an exhibition stand in hall 16 from 28 August to 5 September. The highlight will be the public presentation of the new small van with the three-pointed star - the new Citan - just a few days after its premiere. The exhibited new Citan will be demonstrating some of the various redesign options that currently predominate in the van life scene for this particular vehicle type. Motorhomes based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from Le Voyageur, Kabe, Eura Mobil and Alphavan as well as the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo camper van models will also be on show at the stand - featuring new equipment. At the world's largest exhibition for motorhomes and caravans, the brand with the three-pointed star will thus exhibit its entire portfolio, from the familiar large and mid-size vans to the novel small van.

'We congratulate the Düsseldorf exhibition centre on the 60th Caravan Salon. We look forward to being there again this year and introduce the world of Mercedes-Benz vans to all van life enthusiasts - and those who want to become one. I am particularly looking forward to the customer feedback on the brand new generation of our Citan, which will be available on the market soon. Because one thing is clear: the travel and leisure vehicle market is becoming increasingly important for us as part of our strategic orientation,' says Klaus Rehkugler, Head of Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Vans.

The new Citan: 'small' but impressive, also as a micro camper
In the small vans segment, Mercedes-Benz will present the successor to the Citan on 25 August. The new Citan is a comprehensively new development. The vehicle has the brand-typical DNA, for example in terms of unmistakable design, safety and connectivity.

These properties, in combination with compact external dimensions and at the same time well thought-out space in the interior, open up a wide range of options for the new small van with the star in the increasingly popular field of micro camper conversions - as Mercedes-Benz will show at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf only a few days after its digital premiere.

Further information on the new Citan and its appearance in Düsseldorf will be available with the start of the trade fair on the online platform Mercedes me media at media.mercedes-benz.com and on the Daimler Global Media Site at media.daimler.com.

Motorhome innovations in Düsseldorf will show: the Sprinter is on the road to success
At this year's Mercedes exhibition stand in Düsseldorf there will be nothing less than four motorhomes based on the Sprinter: the recent Red Dot Award-winning camper van from Alphavan - exhibited for the first time as the Edition 4x4 all-wheel-drive version - the semi-integrated Royal from Kabe and Contura from Eura Mobil as well as the new fully integrated motorhome Héritage from Le Voyageur. Further innovations based on the Sprinter on site will include among others: the chic c-line XL from Carthago, the Neo MT 7 BD from Frankia, the Silverdream 690 RS from Wanner or the HRZ City from HRZ Reisemobile.

In 2021, just as in previous years, there will thus be numerous new Sprinter-based motorhomes at the Caravan Salon. They make it clear: the Sprinter impresses traditional companies, startups and end customers alike. With regards to the motorhome industry, this is also borne out by the order books: incoming orders have been rising steadily since the market launch of the current generation in 2018 and have even more than doubled compared to the previous model series.

New engine, new transmission and more: a technological upgrade for the Sprinter
The basis for this success: When developing the third generation of the Sprinter, the needs of motorhome owners and manufacturers were taken into account right from the start. In autumn 2021, the large van with the star will yet again be making technical improvement.

From autumn onwards, the Sprinter will be available in all its body and drive variants with the powerful and efficient four-cylinder diesel OM 654 from the Mercedes-Benz Cars portfolio. The OM 654 engine will come in four output categories for the Sprinter, depending on the variant selected: 84 kW (114 hp), 110 kW (150 hp), 125 kW (170 hp) and 140 kW (190 hp). As a further innovation, Mercedes-Benz will be combining the modern 2.0-litre engine with the comfortable 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission as an alternative to a 6-gear manual transmission, and also a new all-wheel-drive system if desired. This means that the Sprinter is coming even closer to the driving comfort experience of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars - on and off the road.

In addition, a suspension variant, which for the first time will be available as an option for both the Sprinter with front and rear-wheel drive, will further increase the roll stability of the iconic van - when entering the parked vehicle and while driving. This is particularly beneficial for the motorhome use case, due to the high centre of gravity of vehicles of this type.

Even more style and comfort: Marco Polo family with new equipment
Mercedes-Benz's presence at the trade fair will be rounded off in 2021 with the 'in-house' Marco Polo models. Both the compact camper van Marco Polo and the leisure vehicle Marco Polo HORIZON are on site; and - like the third family member Marco Polo ACTIVITY - can be ordered with new product features in time for the Caravan Salon.

Style lovers can now look forward to an optionally available aquamarine-coloured bellows and three optionally selectable decors for the vehicle sides, all in matt black and also with aquamarine-coloured accents - based on the former special model ArtVenture. Its special optics had received a lot of customer approval; Reason for Mercedes-Benz to turn it into individual special equipment. In addition, all Marco Polo models can now be ordered with the Mercedes brand logo projection on the driver and front passenger doors, as familiar from the Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. The projectors are located under the door panelling. They are switched on and off by the door contact switches. When the doors are opened, a Mercedes star is projected onto the floor in the entrance area.

For those who desire even more living comfort, there is now the front opening in the bellows of the pop-up roof, known from the former special model ArtVenture, as an individual option. The front opening ensures improved air circulation. A new hot air auxiliary heater with increased performance and an update of the smart home module MBAC (Mercedes-Benz Advanced Control) with an extended range of functions, including a time control option of the new heating system, improve the well-being in the living area as standard.

The new standard Seat Comfort Package increases the well-being of the driver and front passenger while going on vacation just as in everyday life. The Seat Comfort Package provides seat cushion depth adjustment in addition to lumbar support. The contact surface for the thighs is unlocked by a handle in the front part of the seat and can be pulled forward manually. The seat surface can be extended by up to six centimetres and can be adjusted in one-centimetre increments.

Growth plans for the compact camper vans from Mercedes-Benz and those based on it
The compact Marco Polo models have enjoyed steadily increasing popularity since the current generation was introduced in 2015 and its facelift in 2019. This year alone, Mercedes-Benz is planning 20 percent growth.

At the same time, the brand with the star is increasingly establishing its mid-size vans as basic vehicles for conversions by motorhome manufacturers. In 2021 Pössl, a company specialising in panel van conversions, launched two new vehicles based on the Mercedes-Benz V-Class and the Vito for the European market: the Campstar and Vanstar. Eurocaravaning also followed the trend towards compact camper vans with the VanTourer Urban based on the Mercedes-Benz Vito. In the USA too, the Mercedes-Benz mid-size vans are gaining a foothold in the van life scene. Driverge Vehicle Innovations was one of the first US American producers in the camper van segment to use the Vito for their Metris Getaway.