Amazon Becomes World's Largest Mercedes Sprinter Customer
The online retailer recently took delivery of 20,000 Sprinter vans for conducting business across the US
Following a massive order of 20,000 vans, Amazon is now officially the world's largest Mercedes-Benz Sprinter customer.
In turn, the German automaker has begun building Amazon-branded vans for the online retailer's Delivery Service Partner program, allowing small businesses to lease vans for deliveries using third-party fleet management companies. Production is being carried out at Mercedes' new plant in North Charleston.
"We're proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz Vans to contribute to local economies through the order of Amazon branded Sprinter vans produced at their new plant in North Charleston," stated Dave Clark, Amazon's Senior VP of Worldwide Operations. "Thanks to the tremendous response to Amazon's new Delivery Service Partner program, we are excited to increase our original order of branded Sprinter vans to 20,000 vehicles so new small businesses will have access to a customized fleet to power deliveries of Amazon packages."
This year also marks the U.S. market launch of the third-generation Sprinter van, featuring the automaker's new MBUX multimedia system, as well as ergonomically shaped seats and modern driver assistance systems.
The vans, which will be made under the brands Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner, will be available with a choice of two engines: a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder petrol unit and a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder turbo diesel. Prices range from $33,790 for the Cargo Van setup with the 2.0-liter engine, to as much as $56,790 for the diesel-powered 4x4 Passenger Van model.