Small Business is on the rise in the United States! Manufacturers have finally begun to fill a gap in vehicle offerings where some companies need a large or medium sized van but could only afford a small pickup truck. New, refreshed and innovative commercial van designs have finally made it into production and are serving small business well.

Ford: Part of the reason for this boom in commercial van sales is due to the fall of the famed E-Series vans produced by Ford. E-Series vans were well built and known to last a very long time. Ford has finally retired the E-Series van line and replaced it with the Ford Transit. Already sold in Europe the Transit builds on the success of the E-Series and currently holds 57% of the commercial van market share.

Mercedes Benz: https://mlpforums.com/blog/677/entry-14292-for-the-logistics-fans-equipment-profile-mercedes-benz-sprinter/

During the Era when Mercedes and Chrysler were merged as DaimlerChrysler Mercedes Benz decided to export its Sprinter van series to the United States to be sold alongside Ram pick up trucks. Sold initially as the Dodge Sprinter (And Freightliner Sprinter) the van sold well in the United States despite having a higher cost than its competition. Ever since the fall of DaimlerChrysler Mercedes Benz has had to put its own branding on the van which they were initially reluctant to do fearing it would damage sales of its luxury vehicles. Quite the opposite has happened with sprinter van sales consistently high. To supplement this new slice of market share Mercedes Benz also began to sell a minivan for the first time. The Mercedes Benz Metris van like its Sprinter cousin comes in both passenger and cargo models.

Nissan: In 2008 Nissan gave its American operations the green light to commence independent of medium duty trucks to compete with its rivals for a part of the market share. Nissan trucks are developed in the United States and are sold only for the U.S. and Canadian market much like Toyota does. While Toyota builds its trucks in Indiana and Kentucky, Nissan chose Mississippi for its domestic truck operation. The NV passenger van has been highly praised for its refined styling and comfortable seating for 12. Its twin the NV cargo is also popular with business owners who also own a Nissan Titan or Armada. Its smaller cousin is also sold in the United States but by a rival manufacturer under a special agreement.

Chrysler: Chrysler's new owner Fiat decided to enter the van market by exporting the Fiat Ducato to the United States. The Ducato is a very common van in Europe and extremely popular choice for camper van conversions. Fiat decided to add the Promaster to its Ram lineup of commerical trucks where it is sold along side Ram Pickup trucks and its smaller twin the Promaster City. The van is a badge engineered vehicle looking exactly like its Italian counterpart.

Chevrolet: The Chevy City Express is an update to the Chevy Express/GMC Savana series of vans. The City Express is actually a badge engineered vehicle. Internationally the van is known as the Nissan NV200 and is sold in the United States by Chevrolet. These vans have the smallest engines around 1.5 or 1.6L engines coupled to a 5 or 6 speed CVT transmission. The vans are assembled for the North American Market in Mexico.

Hyundai: Expressing interest in competing in different markets in the United States it is rumored Hyundai may enter the Commercial Vehicle sector in North America. Hyundai has experience building heavy vehicles and has dominance in emerging markets. They do build buses and semi trucks but in the United States Hyundai builds shipping containers and semi trailers for trucking companies. Hyundai's new venture into luxury vehicles shows the company is open to new vehicle segments and has begun selling the H350 in Europe.

Which Van Has a Place With Your Small Business?