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'Wow, What the Hell Is This?' Mercedes CEO Recalls Dealers' First Look at the VLE Van
- On Tuesday in Stuttgart, Mercedes‑Benz unveiled the VLE, an all‑electric luxury van with acres of interior screens, ambient lighting, and a 10.25-inch driver display alongside two 14-inch screens plus a drop-down 31.3-inch 8K rear display.
- Mercedes‑Benz CEO Ola Källenius met media hours before the launch and said the VLE could attract buyers who might otherwise buy GLS‑ or S‑Class models, with strong reactions from U.S. dealers and China seen as a major opportunity.
- Both VLE models are powered by a 119‑kWh battery pack , built on an 800‑volt VAN.EA architecture with 315‑kW charging; Mercedes says it adds 221 miles in 15 minutes and offers powertrains from single‑motor front‑drive to 409 hp dual‑motor 4Matic.
- Mercedes says the VLE won't reach the U.S. until the end of 2027, with firm specs next year, and will keep the V‑Class on sale alongside it.
- Design details such as electrically rolling side windows and LED 'star' headlights emphasize luxury, while the VLE achieves a drag coefficient 0.25 and curb-to-curb turning circle 35.75 feet, with journalists suggesting it could spark a 'luxury van' arms race among premium brands.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Is this still a van or even a particularly large luxury sedan? Mercedes redefines the V-Class and makes the series a veritable business class that doesn't have anything like a bus. Apart from the many real seats and the probable travel qualities. V-Class? That was once simply the car version of the Vito. If the Pietro had been called, it would have become the P-Class. And at Stefano - oh no, S there is already. No matter. There is obviously a lo…
With the V-Class Mercedes once declared the dominance of the Bulli the fight. Now the Stuttgart-based team with the new models VLE and VLS are putting one on top.
The Van business is Mercedes' income bead, but sales and profits are falling, costs are rising. According to the division's head Thomas Klein, a new large-scale limousine is to herald a new era.
Mercedes-Benz celebrates 140 years of automobiles and reinvents the van. The VLE presented in Stuttgart replaces the V-Class from the commercial vehicle tradition: electric, pompous and not exactly cheap.
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