Mercedes-Benz in October pulled the wraps off a concept previewing a new pickup truck.
The production version it will spawn will be called the X-Class and will be a mid-size truck that looks like it's aimed at those with both an active lifestyle and a healthy balance in their checking and savings accounts.
The automaker's plan for the truck involves offering it for sale in Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia, starting in 2017. Nowhere in those plans will you find North America, Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler revealed to Automotive News (subscription required).
At least for now, that's the plan. Mercedes will monitor how well it's doing in the market with the launch of its first-ever volume pickup. Perhaps it could find its way Stateside once the truck enters a second generation. While we don't know exactly when that might be, and Mercedes won't say, Automotive News points out that Mercedes typically offers a refreshed version in four years before a full redesign after seven years.
It will be interesting to see how the North American truck market evolves over the course of that time. We don't expect the strong desire for the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F], General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] and Ram offerings to fall off anytime soon. Still, the rest of the competition keeps producing more enticing offerings, and they could carve out some space for others to jump into the fray. Perhaps Mercedes will be the next brand to challenge the domestic pickups.
