Mercedes-Benz's X Class Pickup Truck Looks to Attack the U.S. Market
Hoping to give its business a more diversified footprint, Mercedes Benz is throwing its hat into the ring of midsize pickups with the introduction of the X class truck.
Corporate believes pickups are trending upmarket
“SUVs are elegant lifestyle products with a high-quality finish to them. Not every customer takes them into the wilderness anymore,” explains Mercedes-Benz Vans boss Volker Mornhinweg told Automotive News Europe. “We believe pickups could go in a similar direction.”
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The company is preparing to bring X class around the world
70-percent of parent company Daimler’s vans division is dependent upon Europe. With X class, Daimler is going after a much broader audience: farmers in South America, building contractors in Australia, families in Brazil, and trend-conscious individuals in Europe and South Africa.
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Just don’t expect to see it in America (yet)
Mercedes says it has no plans to sell the X Class in the U.S. where demand is mainly for full-size pickups. So, for now at least, the X class went on sale in Europe last November, and it will go on sale in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand early next year. Argentina and Brazil can expect to see it on the roads come 2019.
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The X class will feature parts from Renault-Nissan
Per Daimler’s industrial cooperation with Renault-Nissan, the X class uses the same platform as the Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan with a conventional ladder-type frame.
For those curious, this will reinforce the long steel support on each side and give the truck its robust construction over the unibody format feature in most vehicles.
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Complex, expensive features
Mercedes included some complex features generally found in passenger cars to offset lower levels of comfort and handling in these kinds of trucks. This includes a double-wishbone suspension for the front wheels. Also, instead of leaf springs and drum brakes on the load-bearing rear axle, the X class has coil springs and brake discs to give it a better ride performance and shorter braking distances.
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