In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, the Sprinter is the largest model offered, followed by the mid-size Vito (aka Viano, V-Class, and EQV) and small Citan.

Compared to the T1, the Sprinter had reduced the aerodynamic drag and moved the engine 290 mm (11 in) further forward to increase cabin space.

[6] The first generation (VA chassis) North American Sprinter was launched for the 2002 model year in the U.S. and was originally branded as a Freightliner.

After 2003, they were sold concurrently under the Freightliner and Dodge nameplates, and were identical except for minor styling details and badging.

Cargo versions of the Sprinter were manufactured in Düsseldorf, Germany, partially disassembled, and then shipped to a Freightliner factory in Gaffney, South Carolina, where they were reassembled.

Passenger vans were not subject to the same tax classifications and were imported as an assembled unit through Mercedes-Benz in Jacksonville, Florida.

The product was launched and supported by DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC, a small division based in Huntersville, North Carolina.

Nearly all of the original staff were retained, though the base of operations shifted from North Carolina to Auburn Hills, Michigan.

The first generation Sprinter was assembled by Mercedes Benz Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City from CKD kits to avoid high local import duties.

The Sprinter Classic is built by the Gorky Automobile Plant at Nizhny Novgorod for service in Russian/Eastern European markets only.

The U.S. cargo version was reassembled from kits in an assembly plant located in Ladson, South Carolina, while the passenger models were imported directly from Germany.

The second-generation 906 was produced in Argentina only for export markets—except Mercosur markets (Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay)—from 2007 until 2010, but in 2011, announced new production of the second generation in the Centro Industrial J. Manuel Fangio, in Buenos Aires[22] with the brand-new OM 651 engine (also locally made) and exported to the rest of South America (including Mercosur markets).

[24] The previous SKD reassembly facility in Gaffney resumed operations under Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation.

[35] In September 2018, e-commerce platform Amazon announced that they had contracted to acquire 20,000 Amazon-badged Sprinters to be available for small business partners of their proprietary logistics service.

[43] For the UK market in 2015, to celebrate 20 years since the first Sprinters were manufactured, a run of 1,200 special edition vans were sold to the public.

These vans included the following additional interior comforts and exterior trim level: The third-generation Sprinter debuted on 6 February 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz logistics center in Duisburg and was available to purchase from June 2018.

It is a large battery-electric van based on the third-generation Sprinter with a unique front-wheel drive chassis;[52] production of the eSprinter commenced at Düsseldorf in December 2019 for European markets.

It is based on the Mercedes-Benz "Electric Versatility Platform" (EVP), a bespoke chassis designed for large vans; EVP shifts the traction motor to the rear axle and enables Mercedes-Benz to offer variants, including pickup truck, chassis cab, and cutaway versions.

[58] In October 2022, a preproduction extra-long, high-roof eSprinter 2.0 was driven for 295 mi (475 km) on a single charge, taking a roundtrip journey from the Mercedes-Benz Museum to the Munich Airport and back.

In the United States, the first generation Sprinters (2001–2006) were offered solely with the Mercedes-Benz 2.7 litre straight 5 cylinder turbocharged Diesel.

Companies are replacing van conversions with wide bus bodies—Sprinters with side-facing benches and tall right-side doors—as campus shuttles.

Ford (ostensibly a company that the tax was designed to protect), imported its first-generation Transit Connect light trucks as "passenger vehicles" to the U.S. from Turkey, and immediately stripped and shredded portions of their interiors (e.g., installed rear seats, seatbelts) in a warehouse outside Baltimore.

[61] To import vans built in Germany, Mercedes-Benz "disassembled them and shipped the pieces to South Carolina, where American workers put them back together in a small kit assembly building.

Such expediters are similar to truck drivers, except they take smaller loads and will wait after unloading until dispatchers find another customer nearby to transport goods.

The vehicle has been adopted by the police in Hong Kong, United Kingdom and in Poland, and also as an ambulance by countries in Western Europe, Scandinavia, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Chilled box versions of the Sprinter currently make up the majority of the supermarket Home Delivery fleet across the UK, but demand for these vans has begun to decline.

Mercedes are currently working with Waitrose Home Delivery, who currently use chilled LWB HR Sprinters, on a prototype of a new generation home-delivery van, which is currently being used in select stores, aiming to cut emissions, costs and increase time efficiency.

These are a popular choice for local affiliates for their maneuverability in metropolitan areas and the lack of DOT regulations (in the under 10,000 lbs versions).

[65] A Mercedes Sprinter was the vehicle used by Mike and Frank on the History Channel reality series American Pickers until Season 6, when it was replaced by a Ford Transit.

[66] The van is also used as a mobile command center by the Garda Síochána which is the national police force of the Republic of Ireland.