I know it’s not a van, but my recent Unimog picture posts have proved popular and so I thought I would share a picture of Mercedes’ next-generation Unimog, which will be Euro 6 compliant.

This will make Merc the first manufacturer to offer Euro 6 compliance across the full spectrum of commercial vehicles, nine months before it becomes compulsory:

The next-generation Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz Unimog

It’s a fine looking beast, although I can’t help feeling that like the current Unimog, it looks slightly like an alien vehicle from another planet…

Euro VI Unimog specification

Mercedes has only released this one picture so far, but I can tell you that the model above will form part of a ten-model Unimog lineup, which will include designations from U216 to U5024. Production is due to start at Mercedes’ Wörth plant in September.

Mercedes’ new BlueEfficiency Power medium-duty engines have already been introduced to its regular truck range, and these new models are the result of a €135m programme to upgrade the brand’s special-purpose vehicles to use the new engines. The four and six-cylinder engines have outputs ranging from 115 kW (156 hp) to 260 kW (354 hp) and will make the Unimog more efficient overall, despite the extensive design changes that were implemented to ensure compliance with Euro VI.

Cabs and other design aspects have also been updated — the Unimog is not the only vehicle to benefit from the new engines — the Econic, best known in the UK for its use on bin lorries — is also included, as it’s also made by Merc’s Special Trucks unit.