A Mercedes-Benz pickup truck concept called the X-Class was unveiled this week with plans for production next year.
The X-Class pickup's platform is based on Japan's midsized Nissan Navara with a diesel V6 engine and the ability to haul more than a ton and tow 7,000 pounds, Road and Track magazine reported. The company plans to sell the vehicle in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, and South Africa, for starters.
Mercedes-Benz USA told Road and Track that the pickup is not expected to be sold in the United States at this point, likely because of a 25-percent tariff on imported pickups. USA Today wrote that American customers already have strong ties to pickups built by General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda.
"We will open up and change the segment of mid-size pickups — with the world's first true premium pickup for the modern urban lifestyle,' Mercedez-Benz vans chief Volker Mornhinweg said in a statement. "Our future X-Class will be a pickup that knows no compromise."
Nissan agreed to build the X-Class at its plant in Barcelona, Spain, for sale in the European, Australian and South African markets, USA Today reported. French automaker Renault will manufacture the pickup at its Cordoba, Argentina, plant for sale in Latin America.
"Ladder-type frame, high-torque six-cylinder engine, and permanent all-wheel drive are compulsory for us," Mornhinweg added in his statement. "As an added value we bring safety, comfort, agility, and expressive design – in other words, everything that distinguishes vehicles bearing the Mercedes star. We will thus appeal to new customers who have not considered owning a pickup before."
General Motors and Fiat Chrysler reported better-than-expected earnings Tuesday thanks to demand for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in North America, Reuters reported. The Ford F-150 model is going for prices of up to $50,000.
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