Mercedes-Benz Vans will exhibit in Hall 13 at IAA Transportation 2026, running from 14 to 20 September in Hannover. Thomas Klein, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, opens the brand’s show programme with a press conference on 14 September at 09:00, covering strategy, upcoming developments and current models. The German manufacturer is using the appearance to mark 130 years of van production, a line it traces from the 1896 Benz Lieferungswagen to today’s electric models.
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that its van division will take a stand of its own at IAA Transportation 2026, the commercial-vehicle industry’s biennial trade fair in Hannover. The brand will be found in Hall 13 for the duration of the show, which runs from 14 to 20 September 2026.
Press conference on the opening day
The brand’s headline moment comes on the first day. Thomas Klein, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, will speak at 09:00 on 14 September at the Hannover exhibition grounds, and according to the company he will give an outlook on the division’s strategy, its coming developments and its current new models.
The announcement does not name the vehicles that will be shown on the stand, nor does it detail which product news is being held back for the conference. Mercedes-Benz says only that the appearance is intended to show how its long-standing van expertise is being combined with future-oriented product and service solutions.
130 years of vans, from Lieferungswagen to VLE
Mercedes-Benz describes itself as the originator of the van segment, and frames its 2026 appearance around 130 years of transporter history. The company dates that history to 1896 and the first Benz Lieferungswagen built by Carl Benz, and draws a line from there through the Sprinter and Vito to the vehicles built on its new Van Architecture — among them the new electric Mercedes-Benz VLE.
The current line-up spans both electric and combustion-engined models, the manufacturer says, with customers able to order a configuration from the factory or have one completed by certified body manufacturers. Alongside reliability and quality, the company lists comfort, digital connectivity and a high level of safety as its core customer promises.
Services around the vehicle
Much of the stand’s message is about what sits around the van rather than the van itself. Mercedes-Benz points to advice before and after purchase, a dense network of service outlets covering maintenance and mobile service, digital extras aimed at maximising uptime, in-house financial services, the Mercedes-Benz Rent rental programme and charging solutions intended to ease the switch to electric operation.
Those claims come from the manufacturer, and the release offers no figures to support them.
What it means
IAA Transportation is the main European stage for van, truck and fleet news, and manufacturers typically use it to set out their electrification plans for commercial customers. For fleet buyers, the interesting part of the Mercedes-Benz appearance will be how far the new Van Architecture has progressed — the platform that underpins the electric VLE — and what the brand commits to on charging and service infrastructure, which for commercial operators often matters more than the vehicle itself.
Facts: Mercedes-Benz Vans at IAA Transportation 2026
- Show dates: 14–20 September 2026
- Location: Messegelände Hannover, Germany
- Stand: Hall 13
- Press conference: 14 September 2026, 09:00
- Speaker: Thomas Klein, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans
- Focus: strategy, upcoming developments, current models
IAA Transportation 2026 opens in Hannover on 14 September.
Source: media.mercedes-benz.com