We know for a fact that Mercedes is seriously considering launching a global midsize pickup, but what we don’t know is how it will pan out in the end (because the company doesn’t know either). Now we learn the decision regarding its fate will be made by the end of the year – December 31st.
The information was obtained by Automotive News from Steve Cannon, the boss of Mercedes-Benz USA. “We said to Stuttgart, ‘We are open, and let us assess the market,’” he explains, adding that “if it leads to us saying ‘green light,’ then we will bring it.”
This is very obviously much more important news for prospective US buyers than buyers anywhere else, and Mercedes is probably very keen to attract the most buyers it can in the country. Apparently the US will perceive it as a luxury passenger vehicle, even if it will still be utilitarian at heart – a kind-of modern G-Wagen with a bed at the back?
Cannon adds that “we have had pickup discussions for 15 years in this company. One sacred cow was bringing in the Sprinter, a big old boxy thing that’s aimed at plumbers and electricians and carries the three-pointed star.”
If they do decide to go ahead with it, then it won’t be a niche vehicle sold at a select few dealerships, but a main model that would only make sense to create if there was a demand for at least 10,000 units per year, according to the quoted source.
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