Mercedes-Benz Vito (W 639)

The Baureihe 639 was the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz Vito, a minibus or small van sold as the Vito in its commercial form and as the Viano in its passenger-van form. It followed the W 638 and, unlike that front-wheel-drive van, drove the rear wheels. It came with two wheelbases, three body lengths and two roof heights, and was built at Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, with some kits assembled at Alcobendas and, from 2010, a Chinese line at Fuzhou. Petrol engines were V6 units, replaced in 2006 by a 3.5 litre V6, and diesels ranged from 2.1 litre four-cylinders to a 3.0 litre common-rail V6. The Vito won Van of the Year in 2005, and a battery-electric Vito E-Cell followed in small numbers. A successor, the Baureihe 447, was presented in January 2014.