It’s unknown if it will come to the U.S., but Mercedes’ rendering of the truck shows a sleek, SUV-like front end with a pickup bed on the back.
Nissan and Mercedes parent Daimler announced they are jointly developing a double-cab one-ton pickup, which will roughly be based on the midsize Nissan NP300. Daimler says it will be true to the brand.
“The Mercedes-Benz pickup will share some of the architecture with the all-new Nissan NP300 but it will be engineered and designed by Daimler to meet the specific needs of its customers,” Daimler says in a statement. “The vehicle will have all of Mercedes Benz’ distinctive characteristics and features.”
In the U.S., Nissan sells two pickups, the midsize Frontier and the full-size Titan.
Mercedes-Benz’ pickup truck would share some component with the Nissan NP300
The Mercedes pickup will be primarily aimed at major markets except Asia and the U.S. The primary targets are Europe, Australia, South Africa and Latin America. Nissan, which says it is the world’s second largest maker of 1-ton pickups, was picked as a partner as a way of reducing development time.
But it is being weighed for the U.S. “We said to Stuttgart, ‘We are open, and let us assess the market,'” Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, told Automotive News. Daimler is based in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Mercedes-Benz 1-ton pickup will be built at the Nissan/Renault plant in Cordoba, Argentina and in Barcelona, Spain. Cordoba is expected to produce about 70,000 of the pickups, along with Nissan and Renault models, while Barcelona will be able to produce 120,000, Daimler and Nissan said.
