Mercedes-Benz announce new ‘T-Class’ platform primed for taxi and private hire use

Image credit: Daimler

Mercedes-Benz Vans have announced a new small van platform that will be used to create a new vehicle big enough for the taxi and private hire industry.

Just like the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, which has successfully positioned itself in the midsize van segment, Mercedes-Benz Vans will also be offering a small van for private customers from the first half of 2022.

The class designation of this new model is "T-Class".

Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: "With the new Mercedes-Benz T-Class, we will offer a vehicle which makes it possible for families and those with active pastimes to step into the Mercedes-Benz world. These customers seek attractive and practical compact vehicles – and it is precisely these demands which the new T-Class fulfils."

Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler Group, said: "With the T-class’s new layout and design we achieve a fusion of functionality and desirability.

"With our unique design philosophy of Sensual Purity we create an attractive family companion being the T-Class inspiring with its design, proportions and its perceived value." 

As a completely new development, the T-Class will be clearly discernible at first glance as a member of the Mercedes-Benz family and will feature unmistakeably typical characteristics of the brand with the three-pointed star. The German car manufacturer added that the new vehicle will bear the DNA of Mercedes-Benz, in terms of design, value, safety and connectivity.

The private-customer market is the focus of the completely newly developed Mercedes-Benz T-Class. The T-Class will meet the needs of families and leisure-oriented people at an attractive price-value ratio.

Whilst images of the finished model are yet to be released, Mercedes-Benz have assured that the T-Class offers a large amount of space and is suited to a range of different uses, including ‘passenger transportation as a reference within sharing services’. The wide-opening sliding doors on both the left and right-hand sides of the vehicle as an example allow easy and comfortable access to the interior.

Alongside conventional drive systems, there will be also a fully electric version.