Chili Palmer might think the Oldsmobile Silhouette is the Cadillac of minivans, but how about a Mercedes?
The German automaker will introduce a new van called the Metris to the United States in late 2015.
About the size of a Honda Odyssey or Dodge Grand Caravan, the rear-wheel-drive Metris will be offered in commercial and passenger versions at a price point that has not been revealed.
It’s already sold in other countries as the Vito, where buyers get a choice of two turbocharged four-cylinder engines, but Mercedes hasn’t said which, or either, will be available in the U.S.
When it arrives in showrooms it will be entering a resurgent minivan segment that has seen sales increase over 9 percent so far this year, and will be facing competition from an all-new Chrysler Town and Country, which is set to replace both the current model and the Dodge Grand Caravan in Chrysler’s U.S. lineup, and a number of smaller commercial vans like the Ram Promaster City and Ford Transit Connect.