As part of North America's largest commercial vehicle show in Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Vans is unveiling the first details of the new Sprinter.

The design sketch indicates that the most important market launch in the van sector in 2018 will also set new standards in terms of appearance.

New features include the introduction of driving assistance systems and connectivity services in combination with new telematics, which will bring a leap forward in efficiency for vehicle and fleet management, says the manufacturer.

Moreover, the new Sprinter can be even more precisely adapted to individual transport and sector requirements thanks to a considerably extended range of variants, it says.

The market launch will commence in Europe in the first half of 2018, with the other markets to follow. Further details of the vehicle will be announced in the coming months.

"We want to do more than just build the best vehicles,” said Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, at the NACV show. “We want to offer the most suitable mobility solution for every sector and for every transport assignment. And that is precisely our focus with the upcoming Sprinter generation as an overall system solution.

“It also goes without saying that the new edition of our iconic van possesses the classical attributes of reliability, safety and cost-effectiveness."

The Sprinter is one of the most successful commercial vehicles ever, and the best-seller in the product portfolio of Mercedes-Benz Vans.

With a growth rate of around 10% from January to March 2017 compared to the same period last year, the Sprinter achieved the most successful first quarter performance in its more than 20-year history.

Likewise, in the first half of 2017 the Sprinter was able to break a new record: In total, sales increased to about 96,200 units (previous year 95,100).