309 D / 409 D 2.9

STORY

Production began in January 1977 at the Bremen plant, and on 25 April that year Daimler-Benz showed the range to the press at Braunlage in the Harz mountains as the 207 D, 208, 307 D and 308; the works name was TN, for Transporter Neu. It was the first small van the company had developed itself, and unlike the front-driven Harburg transporter it replaced it drove the rear wheels. Düsseldorf took part of the output from 1980 and the whole of it from 1984, turning out 678,793 by 1995. Three weight classes, the 601, 602 and 611 series, covered 2.55 to 4.6 tonnes, the newer OM 601 and OM 602 diesels arrived in 1988, and when the Sprinter replaced the line in 1995 close to 970,000 had been built. Force Motors in India still builds a derivative as the Traveller.