In a bid to capture the mass passenger transport market of the hotel and tourism industry, the German automaker Daimler will launch its Sprinter model in India, perhaps in the beginning of second half of this year. The transport vehicle will be launched through its fully-owned subsidiary Mercedes Benz India.

The model, considered as large van or a mini bus, has sliding doors and can comfortably seat around 15-18 people. It will be imported into India initially. The model is currently undergoing road tests in Pune, according to sources.

Although there is no confirmation on pricing, sources add that the company is planning to price it in the bracket of Rs 35-40 lakh. Mercedes is also learnt to have been pitching for placing the Sprinter under the export promotion capital goods scheme, which will push down its costs as the custom duty is slashed substantially.

This move by Mercedes comes close to its announcement of launching its first passenger bus by July this year. The company is aggressively looking to expand its reach in offering vehicle transport solution to the hotel and tourism industry.

It is also studying the possibility of launching the Viano model (also a van), which will be the size of a Toyota Innova but will be priced much higher. This huge van is currently sold in Asian markets including Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.