Pre-series production of the VLE, the first vehicle based on the new VAN.EA architecture, has begun at the Mercedes plant in Vitoria, Spain. The all-electric van is set to make its world debut in the first half of 2026. Mercedes-Benz had already given a preview of the vehicle in April with the Vision V.
With the start of production for the first pre-series vehicles of the VLE, the Mercedes plant in Vitoria is heralding the final preparations for the start of series production next year. The car factory, located in the Spanish Basque Country, has undergone extensive modernisation to meet the requirements of the new VAN.EA electric van platform.
Mercedes-Benz announced the first details of the VAN.EA in May 2023: according to these, the different vehicle sizes will be scaled using the modular design of the platform with front, middle and rear modules. The front module is the same for all variants, a middle module scales the vehicle length and houses different battery sizes in uniform housings, and the rear module is available as a trailing axle or with a second motor for electric all-wheel drive. The platform can be used for vans in the private sector and for passenger transport, as well as for commercial vans.
“The new VLE is the first vehicle of our new, modular and highly flexible van architecture. In record time we have brought the VLE from the initial concept considerations to production maturity. Throughout the entire development process, we have consistently used innovative, digital methods while creating significant efficiencies. Employees in cross-functional and cross-border teams have set standards in this regard. We will be presenting the result in the first half of 2026,” said Thomas Klein, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.
Mercedes already gave a first glimpse of the VLE in April at the Shanghai Motor Show, where it unveiled the Vision V concept vehicle, on which both the VLE as an electric family van and its luxurious sibling, the VLS, will be based. The VLS will feature a wood and leather interior and be positioned as a kind of VIP shuttle or rolling luxury office. The VLE and VLS will feature 800-volt technology, a 22-kW AC charger and batteries with an energy content of over 100 kWh, giving them a range of more than 500 kilometres. At the same time, the VLE will be the first van to feature the new Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS), which is designed to offer infotainment and driver assistance systems on a par with the S-Class.
The approximately 5,000 employees in Vitoria have already been trained in new processes and procedures, including in cooperation with other Mercedes-Benz plants. According to the manufacturer, topics covered included the integration of new IT standards and the use of new technologies and materials.
The Vitoria plant is set to produce vehicles with completely flexible drive systems from 2026 onwards. The electric models VLE and eVito are to be manufactured there, as well as the combustion engine models V-Class and Vito. However, the V-Class is set to be completely replaced by the VLE and VLS in the future, although Mercedes has already confirmed that the VLE will also be available with a combustion engine at a later date. Mercedes’ naming logic is therefore continuing to change: although the EQV electric van designation for the electric V-Class will disappear with the new VLE, the name is completely new, whereas the latest new electric models from Mercedes were based on the naming logic of the combustion engine world, such as the electric CLA and GLC.
The latest digital production processes, such as artificial intelligence and the creation of a digital twin of the production process, were used in the preparations for the start of production of the new VLE at the plant. “More than 90 per cent of the construction measures in the plant have already been completed, the first production tests have been started. The team is highly motivated to get started next year and thus do pioneering work. I am very proud that our plant in Vitoria was able to implement the preparations in the shortest possible time – this shows the high flexibility of the plant. We are ready to build the future of Mercedes-Benz Vans,” says Bernd Krottmayer, site manager at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vitoria.
mercedes-benz.com
