Mercedes Pickup

Mercedes Benz Says it Will Launch a Premium Luxury Pickup by 2020

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Did you ever imagine there would come a day for Mercedes-Benz to put its three-pointed star on a pickup truck? For the sake of the argument, let’s leave the Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6 out of this, because that vehicle isn’t exactly a typical pickup truck.

Apparently, Mercedes-Benz Vans is serious about launching the world’s first premium midsize pickup truck before the end of the decade. Aimed at markets like Latin America, South Africa, Australia, and Europe, the Mercedes-Benz pickup is seen by Volker Mornhinweg, the head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, as “an ideal vehicle for the international expansion of our product range with a newly developed model.”

“The Mercedes-Benz pickup will contribute nicely to our global growth targets. We will enter this segment with our distinctive brand identity and all of the vehicle attributes that are typical of the brand with regard to safety, comfort, powertrains, and value,” adds Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division.

Mercedes-Benz points out that the midsize pickup segment is currently undergoing a transformation worldwide, with more and more pickups being used for private purposes. Furthermore, commercial as well as private users are increasingly asking for vehicles that have car-like specifications.

This is where the Mercedes-Benz will come into play as the first midsize pickup truck from a premium carmaker. There’s no other information about the vehicle, except that it will offer a high level of utility as well as “the comfort, safety, and design of a Mercedes-Benz passenger car.” The official rendering released along with the information offers a clear idea about how the Mercedes-Benz pickup could look like.

The story seems pretty real to us, but considering April Fools’ Day is just around the corner, it’s difficult not to suspect Mercedes-Benz of trying to trick us.

CarScoops

Sprinter-Based Pickup Could Be The Solution For Mercedes

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A lot has been written about the possibility of a Mercedes-Benz midsize pickup coming to the global marketplace by 2020. First Mercedes officials announced the possibility from Germany; then The Wall Street Journal reported M-B would partner with Nissan to build its new global entry. Now Automotive News is reporting that Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says there is no binding agreement that makes the partnership official, adding no decisions have been made.

Clearly, this is good theater and makes for plenty of splashy news stories. The fact remains that we're not any closer to a midsize competitor for the U.S. market. All of this discussion centers on a global commercial entry into a solid global marketplace from a maker of many commercial vehicles. Whether a Mercedes-Benz small pickup comes to market in the U.S. is just as likely as discussing whether the globally popular Mitsubishi L200, Volkswagen Amarok or Ford Ranger will eventually come to the states. House money, at least in the near term, is clearly on that not happening.

It makes perfect sense that a global commercial player like M-B would want to offer a global midsize pickup for better access to the significant midsize markets in South America, Europe and Africa. Conversely, it probably doesn't make much sense to invest vehicle production time, engineering and design work (even if it's on a shared platform) into a midsize pickup that would likely not sell well in the U.S. at the price Mercedes would need to make the project profitable. That's especially true in light of the fact that the U.S. midsize segment is not likely to go through a major expansion any time soon. A moderate expansion, maybe — but not a significant one.

With all that said, there still might be a way for Mercedes to come to the U.S. with a strong and unique commercial pickup that could offer impressive technology, capability and "rough luxury" to a new and practical buyer. M-B could use its Sprinter commercial van (preferably the 4x4 version) as a platform for a full-size pickup body.

The result would be economical and powerful diesel engines; a solid, low-slung chassis ready to haul plenty of cargo; and a mountain of safety technology already housed in the current Sprinter computer software. Add to that a potentially low load floor, reasonable towing and an all-wheel-drive setup (with an available low-range option) that would make any delivery company, oil producer or construction fleet buyer quite happy. Once Mercedes starts making Sprinter vans in this country (now they're built in Germany and reassembled in the U.S.), we imagine costs will come down considerably. The timing for all of this could happen well before 2020, the supposed target date for a global Mercedes midsize pickup.

We're not saying it would be easy, but we are saying there may be more money in it for M-B in the long run if it jumped into the much larger U.S. full-size pickup market with a real commercial entry (we know Nissan and Toyota made half-hearted attempts to service the commercial side of the workforce when their full-size trucks debuted). Making the full-size pickup buyer happy first would be a wise decision. Then, if things went well, Mercedes could add an extra trim package or two for those who want a little more comfort and luxury. All the full-size pickup makers have figured out how much money there is to make with premium trim packages and added capability. And it seems like M-B might know something about the luxury end of the spectrum.

PickupTrucks.com

Mercedes-Benz Pickup To Be Badged A “GLT”

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Yes, Mercedes-Benz is officially working on a pickup truck, though whether or not the vehicle will make it to the U.S. is still up in the air. A few things we do know about the pickup is that it will be a mid-size model and feature a dual-cab design, the latter indicated in the official teaser sketch above. Mercedes has also confirmed that the pickup will be based on a body-on-frame platform shared with the next-generation Nissan NP300 (a Navara in certain markets), and that production will take place at plants in Argentina and Spain.

Now, we have a few more details by way of an interview by CAR Magazine with the head of Mercedes’ commercial vehicles unit, Volker Mornhinweg. In the interview, Mornhinweg explained that Mercedes didn’t want to develop a “fat cowboy truck” for the North American market, which is dominated by the Detroit 3 brands. That’s why Mercedes has chosen to focus on the Australian, European, Latin American and South African markets, where mid-size pickups also double as premium lifestyle vehicles.

Mornhinweg didn’t say what volumes Mercedes is expecting for the vehicle but did point out that globally, the mid-size pickup segment sees about 2.3 million sales annually and that most of these are for Toyota products.

CAR goes on to report that the pickup will be badged a “GLT” and that it will offer four- and six-cylinder engines, presumably in gasoline and diesel flavors. There will also allegedly be three different trim levels to choose from, aimed at utility, dual-purpose use and leisure respectively. The report also claims that beyond a standard live rear axle, buyers will be able to opt for independent rear suspension as well as all-wheel drive.

The Mercedes pickup is due to arrive near the end of the decade. A decision on a U.S. launch will be made by the end of this year.

Motor Authority

Mercedes-Benz Reveals Midsize X-Class Pickup Concept
U.S., Canada Not Among Initial Launch Markets

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Mercedes-Benz has finally revealed two concept versions of its highly anticipated midsize pickup truck. As many expected, it is named the X-Class. The truck is a collaborative effort with Renault-Nissan and is believed to be based on the NP 300 Navara. Top grades will offer optional turbodiesel V-6 power, and all grades will offer a five-link coil spring rear suspension, an option on higher-trim Navara trucks. Top payload capacity will be an impressive 2,425 pounds, with a towing capacity of 7,716 pound, or about the rating of a Chevrolet Colorado diesel. Also as expected, the U.S. will not be among the initial launch markets, if ever. The primary markets are targeted to be Europe, Latin America, South Africa, and Australia.

Two different versions of the truck were shown at the launch event in Stockholm, Sweden. One was the “stylish explorer” luxury version, and the other was the “powerful adventurer” version, complete with 35-inch tires and a front winch. The luxury version featured genuine wood trim, nubuck leather seating surfaces, and 22-inch wheels. The off-road version featured an integrated fire extinguisher and a grid-style tailgate. Like the Navara, the X-Class is body-on-frame. All X-Class models will offer permanent all-wheel-drive, with a low-range transfer case.

Still unknown is whether the diesel V-6 will be sourced from Daimler or Nissan. Both companies offer a 3.0L diesel V-6 with similar power outputs. We expect more technical details on the powertrain closer to the truck’s launch in late 2017. Models for the European, Australian, and South African markets will be built at a plant in Barcelona, Spain, and models for Latin America will be built in Cordoba, Argentina.

Truck Trend

I wonder how much they will be selling it for.

I kinda like the red one.
Proper cab with big side windows, no big swoopy curl up on the back doors like GMs been doing. Back of cab squared off and just needs a longer bed option.

I like it in silver.

Yeah I'd prefer a different color as well, just pointing out which truck design I like.

Are they going to sell it in the US?

silenton wrote:

Are they going to sell it in the US?

Not initially. Possibly in the future.

Oh I see. I wonder how it would fare among the American pickup trucks.

silenton wrote:

Oh I see. I wonder how it would fare among the American pickup trucks.

It is mid-size, and based off the new (world) Nissan Frontier. I'm sure it would compete well against any other mid-size truck.