Horses, beer and Mercedes-Benz take credit for the van

There may not be as many minivans on the road as there used to be, but make no mistake about it: the van is still an indispensable mode of transportation. Especially for things like beer, ice cream, flowers, teams of television adventurers, and... more beer. There have been many automakers that have made vans over the years, and many that still do. But Mercedes-Benz is keen to point out that it pioneered the van.

In this light-hearted, minute-and-a-half-long video clip, Mercedes takes us from the advent of the van before the turn of the century (the previous century, that is) through its gestation and evolution into the vital vehicle that it is today. But it never would have happened if not for some tired horses and many beer-swilling Germans, the former owing their thanks to the latter... and, if the narrative is to be believed, all of us owing that pioneering spirit to Mercedes.