Auto Truck Group has entered into an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to offer ship-thru service for Mercedes-Benz vans from a new South Carolina facility, and has been added to the Mercedes Master Solutions upfitting program.

“We are very excited about our new relationship with Mercedes and expect the Sprinter and Metris van models to be core series for our upfit customers,” said Jim Dondlinger, president of Auto Truck Group.

Auto Truck Group's new facility will be located in Summerville, S.C. seven miles from the Mercedes-Benz van plant that just broke ground on a $500 million expansion. The new service center is expected to be operational by October 1.

With the addition of Mercedes-Benz, Auto Truck Group now has ship-thru service with five major OEMs, including Chrysler, General Motors, Ford, and Toyota.

“Our geographic spread into the southeast U.S. and expansion of our ship-thru capabilities are a significant part of our overall growth plan. It positions us for new opportunities and enables us to better serve our customers,” Dondlinger said.

When customers order Mercedes-Benz vans and use the Auto Truck Group ship-thru code, the vehicles will be sent directly to Auto Truck Group’s Summerville facility for upfitting. Once completed, the vehicles will be returned to the plant and entered into the Mercedes-Benz transportation system to be sent to the end destination.