When the Sprinter van arrived in the United States in 2001, most buyers never saw a Mercedes-Benz star on it. It was sold as the Freightliner Sprinter and, from 2003, the Dodge Sprinter, reflecting Daimler’s ownership of Freightliner trucks and its merger with Chrysler. The U.S. “chicken tax” — a 25% tariff on imported light trucks and vans — also shaped how Sprinters were built for America for years. Mercedes-Benz badging finally arrived in the U.S. in 2010.

Why not sell it as a Mercedes?

In 2001, Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. was a luxury car brand with dealerships designed for sedans, not commercial vans. Daimler already owned Freightliner, a heavy-truck maker with commercial dealers who understood fleet customers. Selling the Sprinter through Freightliner made sense.

After Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler in 1998, the Sprinter also became a Dodge, sold through Chrysler-Dodge dealers that had a huge commercial customer base and had just ended production of the long-running Dodge Ram Van. For many Americans, the Dodge Sprinter was their first encounter with the vehicle.

The chicken tax

In 1964 the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on imported light trucks in a trade dispute with Europe over chicken exports — the “chicken tax”. Vans fall under the tariff. To avoid it, Sprinters for the U.S. market were shipped from Germany partially disassembled and then reassembled in South Carolina, which allowed them to be treated differently from fully built imported vans. This approach continued for years until Mercedes opened a full Sprinter production plant in Ladson, South Carolina, in 2018.

The breakup

When Daimler sold Chrysler in 2007, the Dodge Sprinter’s days were numbered. Dodge dropped the Sprinter after 2009 and later adopted the Fiat-based Ram ProMaster instead. Mercedes-Benz began selling the Sprinter under its own brand in the U.S. in 2010, and Freightliner-branded Sprinters continued for commercial customers for some time afterward.

How to tell them apart

A Dodge, Freightliner or early Mercedes Sprinter of the same year is essentially the same vehicle underneath, with different badges and grilles. Enthusiasts and used-van buyers often cross-shop them for that reason.

The Sprinter today

The Sprinter now competes with the Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster — both of which arrived in the U.S. in the 2010s, partly because the Sprinter proved Americans would buy European-style high-roof vans. Compare them in Sprinter vs Ford Transit and Sprinter vs Ram ProMaster, or read the full Sprinter history.

In chauffeured service

Luxury conversions of the Sprinter are the backbone of executive group transportation. Ours carries up to 12 passengers — see the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter page and our group transportation service.