In August last year, Daimler announced
officially that the next-generation Citan will be developed in cooperation with
the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. This means the light commercial vehicle
will share its underpinnings and technologies with the new Renault Kangoo and
Dacia Dokker, which we’ve already spied. Now, it’s time to take a first look at
the German cousin of the two vans.
We won’t blame you if you think these are
just photos of the Kangoo/Dokker duo. However, these are indeed prototypes of the new Citan and the German registration
plates, which oddly enough start with the letters S-P-Y, are the major giveaway
here. Also, the rear end of the trial cars appears to be different than what
we’ve already seen on the previous mules.
The basic shape and dimensions will be
identical between the three sister models but the German automaker promises the
new Citan will “clearly be recognizable as a Mercedes-Benz at first glance.”
The brand will try to address criticism from media representatives and
customers that the current Citan doesn’t justify its high price tag as it looks
and feels pretty much the same as the Kangoo and Dokker.
Approximately a year ago, the current
Citan was updated with the latest generation 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine from
Renault. Offered with either 80 hp, 95 hp, or
116 hp, we expect to see the new dCi unit available in the overhauled
Citan, together, probably, with Daimler-Renault’s 1.3-liter turbo gas engine.
What’s more important, the new Citan will
also receive an all-electric version. It’s probably safe to assume it will
share its zero-emission powertrain with the next-gen Kangoo Z.E., which is set
to benefit from a healthy upgrade over today’s 170 kilometers between charges and 59 hp of peak power.
