Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand has unveiled two concepts for its first pickup that will go on sale next year called the X class. The midsize vehicle will target families, outdoor enthusiasts and commercial customers.Mercedes says Europe, Latin America, South Africa, and Australia will be key markets for the pickup. The brand also said it is examining whether to sell the vehicle in the U.S. market, but it pointed out that U.S. demand for pickups has shrunk dramatically.
“We are keeping a close eye on the U.S. market,” Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes Vans, said in an emailed statement. No decision has been taken. “We are evaluating the conditions for such a move,” he said.
The X class will share underpinnings with the Nissan NP300/Navara and Renault Alaskan. It will be built by Nissan in Spain starting next year and by Renault in Argentina in 2018. The pickup is the latest product in an industrial alliance between Daimler and Renault-Nissan.
