Mercedes-Benz decides it wants a piece of the haulin’ market.
Didn’t see this one coming! Mercedes-Benz is entering the pick-up market and has released this sketch of what the first mid-sized truck might look like.
The new vehicle will be developed by the brands’ van division, and will focus mainly on Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Europe. Merc sees potential for sustained growth in the truck market, and says the first vehicle will be released before 2020.
Expect the focus to be mainly on practicality rather than super-luxury, but at the same time, it’s Mercedes, so it’ll have a bit of class over the competition. We’d love to see a few swanky versions made. And maybe an AMG…? Come on Mercedes, we can’t let the Ford Raptor hog all the glory.
Could this be the start of a premium pickup craze? It sounds weird now, but there are plenty of markets where the regular man-about-town loves a pickup. And let’s not forget that 20 years ago there was no such thing as a premium SUV. Mercedes takes credit for changing that with the introduction of the M-Class. Now you can barely move for premium SUVs, and even the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley are now getting involved.
Mercedes says more pickups are being used for private purposes, and that commercial as well as private users are asking for vehicles with more car-like specifications, rather than utilitarian, hose-down interiors and few options.
A look at the Mercedes-Benz Vans division shows the scope of what’s possible. The likes of the V-Class and Vito show that it’s possible to have luxury-level commercial vehicles. We wait the new Merc pick-up with considerable intrigue.
