Mercedes Reportedly Considering Convertible SUVs

It seems that Mercedes-Benz wants to enter the highly-taboo niche of convertible SUVs.

Nowadays, car manufacturers are undoubtedly looking for an opening in diverse, unpopulated automobiles niches. The reason being is that maybe a new trend will emerge, generating a substantial income.

Take for example the first “for-door coupe SUV”; BMW’s X6. Sure, the car initially shocked and seemed completely out of its SUV element, but that didn’t stop it from becoming a bestseller. It was so successful that other car manufacturers soon followed its recipe, spawning similar products.

On the other end of the spectrum sits Nissan with its not so successful Murano CrossCabriolet. Ok, maybe it was “ahead of its time”, or maybe it was just the wrong package with the wrong badge. Still, is Mercedes eager to try out this potential profitable opportunity?

Well, according to Car Advice, Wolf-Dieter Kurz – Mercedes vice president of sports cars and SUVs – left room for interpretation that Mercedes might be interested, stating: “Never say never – we are looking in to every opportunity, we will find a market.”

Relax, the man wasn’t necessarily talking about a potential GLE Coupe, GLA or other nonsense convertibles, but about a possible new G-Class with a removable top.

Remember the landaulet-ish body-style that 2-door off-roaders had back in the day – similar to the Wrangler or the older series G-Class?

Mr. Kurz added: “We had one, which we stopped about a year ago – the G convertible, due to production reasons and volume reasons, basically, we stopped that. I think also the convertible is a very slim niche in terms of the SUV portfolio.”

Furthermore, since he is vice president of “sports cars and SUVs”, maybe there’s a possibility he might be referring to a convertible hardcore G-Class version, as a follow-up to the 6×6 and the 4×4 Squared. But we can’t be certain of that.

The one thing we’re certain of is that the German car manufacturer wants to focus on China’s demands, as Wolf-Dieter Kurz declared that Mercedes will make up its mind after a thorough examination of the market, stating: “China is not very good these days, or in total, in terms of convertibles, in terms of classical sedan-based coupes, in terms of roadsters. And it’s somewhat also the driving force in the meanwhile for the overall portfolio: can it be successful in China?”