(Reuters)
Americans love pickups, but they’re not ready for a Mercedes-Benz pickup, the company’s CEO says.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche told journalists at the Geneva Motor Show that it won’t be bringing its upcoming X-Class truck to the United States because it’s too fancy for its size, Motor 1 reports.
“The main argument being that in the U.S. market, the premium pickup truck is a full-size pickup truck, and the premium midsize is somewhat of a conundrum,” Zetsche said.
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The X-Class is the product of a joint venture with Nissan, which sells a more mainstream version that it calls the Navara, but also not in the USA. It’s a midsize truck similar to the GMC Canyon, which is offered in an upscale Denali trim that tops out at around $45,000, while luxe full-size pickups can be optioned up to over $70,000 today. Pricing for the X-Class, which Zetsche describes as premium, not luxury, has not yet been announced for any markets.
Given the array of pricey high end SUVs Mercedes-Benz offers in the United States, including a military-inspired G-Class that runs upwards of $200,000, its reluctance to give a pickup a shot is frustrating for some truck fans, but the door isn’t completely closed.
“This might develop differently in the future,” Zetsche says.
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