Mercedes-Benz has finally taken the covers off its new small van, the Citan, which will go on sale in the second half of 2012.

The Citan will be the first small van for Mercedes-Benz, giving it a rival to the Citroen Berlingo and Fiat Doblo, and will be offered in a choice of three lengths.

A result of a partnership with Renault, the Citan is derived from the Renault Kangoo, and shares its range of engines. But there are styling changes to ensure it looks part of the Mercedes-Benz family of vans, as well as a few changes to the interior.

Standard equipment includes adaptive electronic stability control (which takes account of vehicle load), and the Citan will be offered with three diesel engines with power ranging from 75bhp to 110bhp.

A supercharged petrol version producing 115bhp will also be produced, although full UK specifications will be confirmed nearer the van's launch.

The petrol-engined Citan comes with a BlueEfficiency package as standard, which is optional for the diesel versions. Among other features this includes a start/stop function, battery and generator management, plus optimised low rolling resistance tyres depending on the variant which reduce fuel consumption.