- A child started and reversed a Mercedes-Benz VLE, crashing into a wall at Paris Motor Show
- Incident happened on the show's second-last day at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
- No injuries reported; vehicle and backdrop wall suffered limited damage and were repaired
A Mercedes-Benz VLE electric luxury MPV on display at the Paris Motor Show crashed into a wall after a child got behind the wheel and started the vehicle. The child reversed the vehicle into a wall during the show. The incident, caught on video and shared widely online, took place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles during the show's second-to-last day.
What Happened
Two children had climbed into the bronze VLE parked on Mercedes-Benz's stand. One of them, sitting at the wheel, managed to start the electric powertrain and engage reverse. A product specialist can be seen in the clip trying, to stop the van before it hit the backdrop wall.
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The backdrop carried the words "Redefinir L'Espace," which translates to "to redefine space." After the impact, the wall showed visible damage, and the Mercedes employee threw his hands up in frustration. The two boys, who looked no older than 12, then stepped out of the van before security approached them.
No injuries were reported. Mercedes-Benz France later confirmed that the damage was limited to material; the vehicle was lightly damaged and taken off the stand for repair, while the stand's structure, including a partition, was damaged and subsequently reworked.
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Mercedes-Benz VLE
Mercedes is positioning the VLE as a luxury electric minivan unveiled in the international market while the world awaits its launch. There has been no announcement regarding its launch in India. Currently, the brand offers the Mercedes-Benz V-Class in the Indian market.
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The Mercedes-Benz VLE rides on a 3,342 mm wheelbase in the standard version and also has a long-wheelbase version. It comes with a full-width MBUX Superscreen digital dashboard, plus a 31.3-inch panoramic screen that swivels down from the headliner.
The base VLE300 comes equipped with a single electric motor putting out 272 horsepower and offers a WLTP range of 700 km on a single charge using its 115 kWh battery pack. Meanwhile, the VLE400 4Matic gets a dual-motor powertrain with 409 hp and reaches 100 kmph in 6.5 seconds, compared with 9.5 seconds for the base model.
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