This blue-chip UK truck show brought hundreds of exhibitors, fleet operators, policymakers, members of the public and of course, the T&BB team.

Manufactured at the Wörth truck plant, the three-axle, all-wheel-drive Zetros (6x6) is now available as an armoured vehicle. The two-axle 4x4 to the four-axle 8x8 as an armoured vehicle will be offered from 2025.

The basic idea is to turn large-sized cargo vans into “mobile micro-depots” from which cargo bikes can collect and deliver goods during the last mile.

The new battery electric eSprinter now boasts a range of up to 440 kilometres, thanks to an updated powertrain with an electric axle and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

From April next year, the Atego will be equipped with more cutting-edge safety assistance systems including, Active Brake Assist 6, emergency braking assistant and the Active Sideguard Assist 2 turning assistant.

The company has appointed Christian Wilz as the new head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Germany, taking over from Joachim Schlereth who is retiring at the end of the year. Wilz’s responsibilities will be for sales and service of Mercedes-Benz and Fuso brand trucks in Germany.

The tripartite modular design of the new powertrain will allow for new cab-chassis configurations that were not available before, with Mercedes claiming that the new eSprinter will be its “most versatile” electric van of all time.

The automotive corporation sold 214,700 large vans in 2022, a 0% change on the year before.

David Perdomo Hollatz will Head of Sales for Mercedes-Benz Vans Europe as well as head of management for Vans Germany, and Nicolette Lambrechts will become Head of Sales & Marking for Vans Region Overseas.

The company has revealed that it will be expanding its car engine and battery facility at Jawor to accommodate the production of large VAN.EA panel vans, based on a new electric vehicle platform.

The planned joint venture would repurpose an existing Mercedes-Benz facility in Central or Eastern Europe for the production of electric vans based on two vehicle platforms.

The German corporation plans to invest in its plants at Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde to prepare them for the ramp-up of electric van production over the next several years.