The pickup truck market is a difficult one to crack, especially in the United States. Americans view their trucks like a slice of apple pie or baseball—they’re an identifier of culture.
And each court has its backers. There are Chevy fans, GMC fans, Ford fans and Ram fans. But Mercedes-Benz and pickups? That’s like bratwurst and a slice of pie. Still, the brand is gearing up to launch its first-ever X-Class pickup truck.
The video above, which is pretty over the top for a vehicle teaser, teases the forthcoming X-Class pickup truck without giving away too many details. It’s public knowledge the truck will ride on the Nissan Navara’s platform, what North America knows at the Nissan Frontier.
The X-Class will go on sale in Europe, Australia, South America and South Africa next year, but the brand is still mulling over a North American introduction, likely due to the reasons laid out above. Pickup truck owners are hard to flip, and rarely do Chevy owners defect to Ford, Ford to Ram, you get the idea. Swaying a Chevy/GMC truck guy or gal to Mercedes-Benz’s court may prove difficult.
Or it may open up a different kind of pickup segment.
Comments
I feel like that thing will be as expensive as the M-Class
I agree. The price will be much more than a Canyon Denali. Hence why they would be reluctant to bring it here.
They could not price it very close to he Nissan
I would expect many high end tech and comfort options but at a price starting at $52,000 to over $60,000 that many American truck buyer would not pay opting for a full size truck loaded for less.
The Canyon Denali has limits on options as when you price it over $40,000 the sales drop off dramatically in the mid sized truck market.
People buy the hideous X6 so I wouldn’t put it past anyone to buy the German badge
General Motors needs to get busy.. develop a new generation of engines for truck applications including Delphi 48-volt mild hybrid systems that can also provide battery assisted boost meaning electric motors kicking in to provide extra boost instead of overtaxing the gas engine which would allow for performance without sacrificing fuel economy.
Makes you wonder whether we can see the return of the Avalanche.
A slightly smaller version of the Alvalanche.. the size of the 2004 Silverado with a Hybrid engine would be super.
Where Cadillac????
Luxury pickups didn’t work for Cadillac and Lincoln. The market may be changing now where everybody is chasing false status.
Let’s not get too excited. The Nissan Frontier is a very average product. But I still think mid-size pick-ups will see strong growth in the coming years.
The buyer who needs a pickup for true utility will have limited use for this Mercedes pickup. Add to this the fact that American pickups offer many options which are value priced.
TRUE UTILITY are the operative words and he is right… People needing a Work Truck WT don’t buy LTZ or Z71. But the fact is that many of us need a truck for not such messy uses and also want and need a comfy well equipped vehicle and would like it in one package… I would prefer GM look into something that is a bit more like the 2004 era trucks in terms of size… I find getting in and out of the Colorado more difficult than the Silverado and I own a 2015 Silverado and would like an more working version of a midsize… with luxury that they don’t put in the Colorado… cheap interior
Chevy need to bring back the S10?sized pickup.
Due to safety regulations we will never see a pickup truck that size ever again. Sad but true.
What does size have to due with safety regulations. There are many sub-compacts which have 5 star ratings.
That would be good but I would like to see a bit bigger… and definitely a high end model with some nice features.. it should not be ONLY a work truck… this isn’t avbout price it is about what poeople NEED
If the appetite for these “luxo-trucks” is anything like that of the discontinued Escalade EXT, I can’t see MB taking the risk or even bothering trying this vehicle in the US of A.
However it is a mid-size truck, not a large truck. Just maybe the overall size of the market pie has increased leaving a sliver of luxo-trucks worth competing for?? Just not at the MB price levels, would be my guess…
The other articles I have read have MB describing the truck as more utility and fewer high end appointments than a traditional Benz. Probably still pricey but what is the limit one can charge for a truck/suv? $105k for an Escalade ESV and they sell all they can make. $70k+ for an F150 Platinum. I could go on. I’m not saying it will be a good vehicle or worth the money, just pointing out the ridiculousness of the truck market today.
And I own a 2016 LML CC 4×4 LTZ Z71. That’s about as expensive as a 2500HD can get. $68k sticker. So I am one of the folks that appreciated higher end appointments in a truck.
Mercedes Benz needs to work on improving their advertising / commercials. I would suggest a “real people, not actors” approach, in which a lame host talks to a group of completely car ignorant people, who wouldn’t know the difference between a camshaft and hole in the ground. Ideally, this commercial will reveal next to nothing about the vehicle advertised, which is parked indoors and not in motion.