P-p-pick up yourself a Merc
PICK-UPS may have a reputation for being tough but Mercedes-Benz is taking trucks into the posh zone with its new X-Class.
The first pick-up to wear the three pointed star badge will be on sale late next year and to give a clue of what’s in store the company has revealed two concept models.
One is aimed at the rough and tumble traditionally associated with pick-ups and the other adds a touch of luxury, with a full leather interior and state of the art trimmings. Mercedes has dubbed the first version of its Concept X-Class the ‘powerful adventurer’ and the other it is calling the ‘stylish explorer’. Both models are being developed as part of Mercedes’ link up with the Renault-Nissan Alliance and the X-Class will be built in Spain alongside the Nissan Navara.
Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars said: “With the Mercedes-Benz pick-up, 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.”
With pick-up sales booming – they now account for more than one per cent of all vehicles registered in the UK – Mercedes is aiming its new models at the lifestyle sector as well as the business market.
Revealed at a preview in Stockholm, the luxury variant has smoked oak trim with aluminium inserts and a cabin upholstered with nubuck leather.
The adventure model, which was shown in a lemon paint finish, stands 1.9 metres high and sits on huge tyres, giving added ground clearance.
Payload is said to be 1.1 tonnes with a towing limit of 3.5 tonnes and the top-end models will be powered by a V6 diesel mated to Mercedes’ 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drivetrain.
Mercedes will be marketing the X-Class in key markets across the globe, with models for Europe, Australia and South Africa being produced in Spain and versions for Latin America due to be built in Argentina, where production is due to start in 2018.