Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the X-Class pickup truck concept in Sweden yesterday. The concept was showcased in two variants, one in regular avatar and the other with some serious off-road package. This new luxury pickup truck will enter the market in late 2017, and the key markets include Europe, Latin America, South Africa, and Australia.
The ladder frame truck is developed in collaboration with the Renault-Nissan alliance, and the top-of-the-line variant will pack a V6 diesel engine in combination with the 4MATIC permanent all-wheel-drive system. Although the design cues are borrowed from Nissan Navara NP300, Merc’s signature front fascia is neatly integrated.
Merc says the all-wheel-drive system will combine an electronic traction system, a transfer case with reduction gear, and two differential locks. The traction system and the electrically operated on-demand differential locks channel the power to where traction is best. Under extreme off-road conditions, the rear differential and the inter-axle differential can be locked. The company claims the truck can carry a payload of 2,430 pounds (1,102 kg) in the bed and tow 7,720 pounds (3,501 kg).
The pickup truck will be manufactured in a production cooperation with the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Production for the European, Australian and South African markets will start at the Nissan plant in Barcelona, Spain, in 2017. The X-Class for the Latin American market will roll off the assembly lines at the Renault plant in Cordoba, Argentina, starting in 2018.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars – “With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio. Our target: we want to offer customers vehicles matching their specific needs. The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment.”
“We will open up and change the segment of mid-size pickups – with the world’s first true premium pickup for the modern urban lifestyle”, says Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “Our future X-Class will be a pickup that knows no compromise. Ladder-type frame, high-torque six-cylinder engine, and permanent all-wheel drive are compulsory for us. As an added value we bring safety, comfort, agility, and expressive design – in other words, everything that distinguishes vehicles bearing the Mercedes star. We will thus appeal to new customers who have not considered owning a pickup before.”
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