WANT A METRIS CAMPER? YOU NEED TO ACT SOON!
As you may or may not have heard, Mercedes will pause U.S. production of our beloved Metris vans. It’s an interesting time for small vans in the U.S. market as all four manufacturers have left the market (Dodge, Ford, Nissan, and Mercedes). For Mercedes, from what we’ve been told, the decision was centered upon the engine in the Metris and the global movement to electric. Mercedes has a massive global initiative to move their business to electric, and Metris will be part of that. The current engine in the Metris is built under contract with Nissan, and that contract has ended. Mercedes chose not to renew it and paused the Metris in the U.S. while they R&D an electric version.
While the news is a bit of a bummer, the silver lining is that we still have many Metris vans left in our queue to build. We sit at about 50 vans left to be built to either Weekender or Full Campers. At our current production rate, this will take us well into 2025. But, at our current sales rate, we will probably be sold out by the beginning of 2024. So, not to sound like a used car dealer, but if you want a Metris Camper from Peace Vans, you must act soon!
Why is Mercedes stopping Metris production in the U.S.?
Mercedes announced its plans to stop selling the Metris van in the U.S. market earlier this year. There are lots of reasons bandied about why this decision was made, but from what we have been told, it’s because of the global to move to electric, and the fact that the engine in the Metris was built under a 3rd party contract—with that expiring, it made little sense to renew.
Will Peace Vans stop converting Metris vans after 2023?
Nope! We have a large allotment of Metris chassis, so our production will run well into the future – most likely into 2025. The Metris is one of the best vans on the market for camper van conversions, and demand continues to be extremely strong for the product—there is simply no other small camper available. Once our allotment of vans runs out, we fully expect to keep converting used vans we acquire for the foreseeable future.
What happens if my van needs maintenance down the road?
We get asked this question often, and it’s understandable: what if you need a new part five years later, but the van is discontinued? Luckily, there’s no need to worry about this. The U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Board requires parts and services for discontinued vehicles to remain available for at least ten years past the last production date. Therefore, the Metris will be serviced through 2033. With the U.S. Postal Service owning 45,000 vans, they will likely be in service for many years (our mail carrier still drives a 1984 AMC mail van!). The vehicle is also top-rated in Europe and other parts of the world, so finding parts will never be an issue. We expect future iterations to share many features with the existing platform.
If you are still unsure, remember you can always purchase a 5-year/100,000-mile warranty (free with a new Peace Vans camper van purchase through the end of 2023) or even a 7-year/140,000-mile warranty for the van to extend the 3-year/36,000-mile standard warranty.
Speaking of the van market, we typically tell our customers not to view their camper vans as an investment. Like most vehicles, these products are depreciating assets. However, if you’re a Volkswagen Vanagon owner, you might disagree; because new Vanagons aren’t available anymore, they still sell for a decent price despite being old vehicles with many miles. Nothing is guaranteed, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar trend with the Metris. Our Mercedes Metris camper van conversions are very niche and will be hard to come by in a few years.
What type of van will you convert after the Metris supply runs out?
We don’t have an answer yet, as we plan to continue converting the Metris for the next few years. We will 100% continue converting camper vans—it’s in our DNA and a considerable part of our business. As for which model we will be using after our allotment of Metris’s runs out, we’re not sure.
If (or when) Mercedes announces an E-Metris, we will, of course, be looking to convert it, but we don’t expect that to happen before 2026, and it’s unclear what level of modification we can do. We try to remind people that camping and electric vehicles aren’t quite a thing yet—the range is limited, and charging infrastructure is concentrated in metro areas, not out at the campgrounds. All that will change, but it will take time.
Why shouldn’t I wait for the ID Buzz (VW’s electric van)?
We were lucky enough to get an early preview of the ID. Buzz, and it is simply not a camper platform. It is a small minivan. A cool one, for sure. But it is not camper convertible in its current incarnation—people selling conversions on that van are essentially selling snake oil right now. There is a plan for a cargo version in the US in 2027, which we may build on, and we are learning more about. But we would not take orders until 2026, and even then, it’s not clear VW would allow passengers in the rear portion of the van.
When is the latest I can order a Metris camper van?
The window to get a Metris camper with certainty is closing. As we mentioned above, the quantities are limited. It’s hard to say when we will sell out, but most likely by early 2024. Mercedes keeps slipping new vans to us each month, so who knows? We can say that the delivery time will probably lengthen this winter from 4-6 months to 6-8 months.
What else will Peace Vans do?
Peace Vans has been around 10+ years, and we fully expect to be around for at least that long, if not longer. We are a successful business with multiple things—vintage, electric, rentals, sprinter upgrades, etc. And we even have a few more things up our sleeve.
I need more information before filling out an order form.
No problem! Our website is full of information—we recommend starting on our Modern home page and then checking out the features of our conversion styles. Feel free to reach out if we still haven’t answered your questions!