Update 08/02/2012: A teaser video of the Citan has been published by VansA2Z – scroll to the bottom to see this. It seems that the Citan will be a rebadged Fiat Doblo/Vauxhall Combo, but with extensive modifications and Merc quality control.

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The small van market is an important and lucrative one for van manufacturers – Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Volkswagen and Vauxhall all fight hard for their share.

They will have to fight a bit harder from this autumn, as Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will be joining the fray with its first ever small van, the Citan – a slightly odd combination of the words ‘city’ and ‘titan’.

Still, if the Vito and Sprinter are anything to go by, the Citan will be very good and very desirable, from a driver’s point of view. Firmly aimed at the urban delivery market, it will offer a range of petrol and diesel engines, including the option of Mercedes’ Blue Efficiency low emission package. An all-electric version is also in the pipeline.

Mercedes’ larger commercial vehicles have enviable safety credentials and the Citan should be no different, with ESP standard on all models. The Citan will be available in multiple lengths and weights, and panel van, crewbus and Mixto (crew cab?) variants will be on offer. It should be an interesting addition to a competitive sector.

The Citan will first be shown to the general public in September 2012, at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover and will be launched sometime in the autumn of 2012. 

Here are some pictures of what the van will look like: