Mercedes-Benz Vans has used the IAA Transportation show in Hanover to show where its commercial vans are heading. The electric VLE makes its show debut as an eight-seat shuttle vehicle, while a 6.50-metre stone-look sculpture called THE BOuLDER hints at the shape of the next Sprinter. Alongside the metal, the brand is bundling its commercial offering into a single business ecosystem called Mercedes-Benz PRO.
Mercedes-Benz Vans is at the IAA Transportation in Hanover from 14 to 20 September 2026 (Hall 13, Stand C51), and the display is built around one message: the commercial van is about to be reinvented on a new technical base. The company points out that it has served commercial customers for 130 years as the inventor of the light commercial vehicle.
The VLE arrives as a shuttle vehicle
The electric VLE is the first model on the brand’s newly developed, modular and drive-flexible Van Architecture, and Mercedes-Benz positions it as a Grand Limousine that mixes saloon-like comfort with MPV space. According to the manufacturer it offers a range of more than 700 km (435 miles), 800-volt technology and ultra-fast charging.
The VLE seats five to eight people and can be had with mechanically or electrically adjustable individual seats or benches in the rear, including the vis-à-vis layout favoured by shuttle operators. The show car is the eight-seater with mechanically adjustable comfort benches — the configuration aimed squarely at hotel, airport and shuttle work.
Two electric sliding doors are standard, so passengers can get in and out on either side, and four-zone climate control keeps the whole cabin comfortable. A separately opening rear window and the EASY-PACK tailgate make loading luggage easier. With optional rear-axle steering the turning circle drops to 10.9 metres (35.8 ft), which matters in tight city work. Since 8 September 2026 the VLE can also be ordered with 4MATIC all-wheel drive.
Inside, the AI-driven MB.OS brings the latest MBUX multimedia system and the MBUX Virtual Assistant with generative multi-agent AI. Extensive safety and assistance systems are standard, and the optional MB.DRIVE packages add cooperative steering, braking, accelerating and parking. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz is offering dedicated shuttle packages for professional passenger-transport operators.
Quoted consumption figures are 21.7–20 kWh/100 km for the VLE 400 4MATIC (provisional) and 20.7–18.4 kWh/100 km for the VLE 300, both with 0 g/km CO₂ and CO₂ class A.
THE BOuLDER points at the next Sprinter
The stand’s centrepiece is a sculpture rather than a car. THE BOuLDER measures 6.50 metres long, 2.75 metres high and 2.50 metres wide, is finished to look like stone and was milled from a single solid block. Its outlines trace the silhouette and first design details of the coming Sprinter, while the passenger side reveals the contours of a midsize van that will also use the new Van Architecture.
Those future vans will be offered with both fully electric and what the company calls high-tech combustion drivetrains, and Mercedes-Benz says they are being developed in close consultation with commercial customers from different industries. The Sprinter will again come in numerous length, wheelbase and weight variants for body builders and converters — relevant given that, by the company’s figures, 75 per cent of commercial Sprinters are running as converted vehicles.
MB.OS also brings over-the-air updates of the complete vehicle software, including driver assistance systems, to the commercial range, plus the ability to run third-party apps for fleet control or navigation directly on the MBUX screen.
Mercedes-Benz PRO ties it together
The second announcement is commercial rather than technical. Mercedes-Benz PRO bundles vehicles, digital extras, financial services and aftersales into one ecosystem under the promise “Business Performance. Every Day.” It builds on Mercedes PRO, introduced around a decade ago, and is organised into five service clusters: Customise it, Stay connected, Be electric ready, Finance with confidence and Keep driving. A central element is the Van Uptime Monitor, a digital extra offered free of charge for commercial midsize and large vans, which gives fleet operators a dashboard view of vehicle condition to plan workshop visits and avoid unplanned downtime.
“Mercedes-Benz Vans has always stood for solutions that help companies run their business reliably, efficiently and successfully. We introduced Mercedes PRO ten years ago. With Mercedes-Benz PRO we are defining our ambition well beyond the vehicle once again. We have created a connected ecosystem of vehicles, digital solutions and services that accompanies our customers throughout the entire period of use.” — Thomas Klein, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans (translated from the German release)
What is on the stand
The exhibit list is dominated by the eSprinter, available from the factory with two body types and lengths and three battery sizes. It is shown as a panel van with a range of digital extras, as a near-production eight-seat passenger conversion by AMF-Bruns, as a refrigerated van by Kerstner and as a chassis with a Spier “Aerobox” dry-freight body. A Sprinter 4×4 chassis with a JPM three-way tipper, a Vito Tourer 4×4 emergency-doctor vehicle by Ambulanz Mobile and an eVito panel van with Sortimo racking complete the display.
Facts: Mercedes-Benz VLE
- Range: more than 700 km (435 miles), according to the manufacturer
- Electrical system: 800-volt technology with ultra-fast charging
- Consumption: 21.7–20 kWh/100 km (VLE 400 4MATIC, provisional); 20.7–18.4 kWh/100 km (VLE 300)
- CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km, CO₂ class A
- Seating: five to eight people, several rear configurations including vis-à-vis
- Turning circle: 10.9 m (35.8 ft) with optional rear-axle steering
- All-wheel drive: 4MATIC orderable since 8 September 2026
The IAA Transportation runs until 20 September 2026 in Hanover. Mercedes-Benz has not stated when the next-generation Sprinter previewed by THE BOuLDER will be shown in production form.
Source: media.mercedes-benz.com