Freightliner sprints into light market

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Freightliner is reaching into the lighter side of the commercial truck business with the Class 2 and 3 Sprinter van.

The Sprinter, currently sold by DaimlerChrysler in Europe and South America, will be built and distributed under the Freightliner name in 2001.

The van is designed for a wide range of applications, from parcel delivery to passenger shuttles and light construction.

“With the addition of the Sprinter, Freightliner becomes North America’s only full-line commercial vehicle supplier,” said Freightliner president Jim Hebe. “Due to new distribution logistics driven by E-commerce, we expect the Class 2 and 3 van market to grow tremendously as goods ordered over the Internet are delivered directly to homes.”

The Sprinter was launched in Europe in 1995 and in less than five years has captured more than 21 per cent of the European market.

Freightliner recently announced an $11.4 million, 58,000-square-foot expansion at its plant in Gaffney, S.C. to assemble the van. The addition will be complete by the first quarter of 2001. n

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