AbleGuy
Officious Intermeddler
If this Sprinter news is true, the good news is only for those of you are selling your Sprinter campers...you can now raise your prices! The bad news is for the rest of the folks hoping to get a new Sprinter camper van in early 2020.
It now looks like it’s going to be much more difficult, or at least significantly delaying, for you to try to buy a new Sprinter van camper or get a cab and chassis to have converted. Current “already here” stock of the Sprinters is quickly shrinking, while getting any new vans delivered to the US seems to be on hold.
This is news what I just came across, involving the stoppage of importation of Sprinter vans to the US, on another one of the forums I’m on:
MB Sprinter Disturbing News Delay
I listened to the Wendlands RV Lifestyle podcast this morning and in the question and answer segment this came up.
QUESTION: My dealer says all RV manufacturers are now experiencing major difficulties getting new Sprinters from Mercedes Benz. I know this was a problem last year but this is supposedly something new. Can you confirm? Tom, Grand Rapids, MI
ANSWER: Yes, I am hearing the same thing and, yes, this is something new And it is a major hit on all small RV manufacturers who have orders waiting or want to build on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz chassis. Bottom line is all production of 2020 Mercedes Benz Sprinters in North Americas has ceased and no new Sprinter diesel vans or cutaway chassis are being released.
The problem is caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which has told Mercedes it needs to recertify all its 2020 models to make sure they meet ESPA emission control standards. There’s no problem with the engine, which is identical to the 2019 Sprinter, but the need to recertify and test the engines is expected to delay production for months.
Earliest I’ve heard that the process is expected to be complete is April 2020. So… if you have a 2020 RV on order that is on the 2020 chassis, it’s not coming anytime soon. Some manufacturers still have a supply of 2019 Sprinters — which themselves were delayed… but nobody will be building on 2020 Sprinter chassis for quite some time.
It’s a big issue for all north RV manufacturers that use the Sprinter. It’s also one reason why the Ford Transit is rapidly becoming the small motorhome chassis of choice for many RV makers… there are no such issues. Except, indirectly, the demand for 2020 Ford Transit chassis is growing so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them hard to come by soon, either. I’ll let you know.
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Further....from this Van Forum...
"The new Sprinter has debuted worldwide but not in the U.S. No one knows the exact 2020 Mercedes Sprinter release date for the U.S. market since no official announcement has been made. However, if the schedule is to be followed, the upcoming Sprinter will enter the U.S. market in late 2020."(quoted from industry articl)
So it seemingly looks any people or upfitters planning on converting the new 2020 Mercedes chassis for a camper before next fall are going to have to wait.
It now looks like it’s going to be much more difficult, or at least significantly delaying, for you to try to buy a new Sprinter van camper or get a cab and chassis to have converted. Current “already here” stock of the Sprinters is quickly shrinking, while getting any new vans delivered to the US seems to be on hold.
This is news what I just came across, involving the stoppage of importation of Sprinter vans to the US, on another one of the forums I’m on:
I listened to the Wendlands RV Lifestyle podcast this morning and in the question and answer segment this came up.
QUESTION: My dealer says all RV manufacturers are now experiencing major difficulties getting new Sprinters from Mercedes Benz. I know this was a problem last year but this is supposedly something new. Can you confirm? Tom, Grand Rapids, MI
ANSWER: Yes, I am hearing the same thing and, yes, this is something new And it is a major hit on all small RV manufacturers who have orders waiting or want to build on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz chassis. Bottom line is all production of 2020 Mercedes Benz Sprinters in North Americas has ceased and no new Sprinter diesel vans or cutaway chassis are being released.
The problem is caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which has told Mercedes it needs to recertify all its 2020 models to make sure they meet ESPA emission control standards. There’s no problem with the engine, which is identical to the 2019 Sprinter, but the need to recertify and test the engines is expected to delay production for months.
Earliest I’ve heard that the process is expected to be complete is April 2020. So… if you have a 2020 RV on order that is on the 2020 chassis, it’s not coming anytime soon. Some manufacturers still have a supply of 2019 Sprinters — which themselves were delayed… but nobody will be building on 2020 Sprinter chassis for quite some time.
It’s a big issue for all north RV manufacturers that use the Sprinter. It’s also one reason why the Ford Transit is rapidly becoming the small motorhome chassis of choice for many RV makers… there are no such issues. Except, indirectly, the demand for 2020 Ford Transit chassis is growing so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them hard to come by soon, either. I’ll let you know.
__________________
Further....from this Van Forum...
"The new Sprinter has debuted worldwide but not in the U.S. No one knows the exact 2020 Mercedes Sprinter release date for the U.S. market since no official announcement has been made. However, if the schedule is to be followed, the upcoming Sprinter will enter the U.S. market in late 2020."(quoted from industry articl)
So it seemingly looks any people or upfitters planning on converting the new 2020 Mercedes chassis for a camper before next fall are going to have to wait.
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