Mercedes-Benz Could Build, Sell X-Class Pickup Truck in America

The German automaker is doing research to build a business case for the X-Class in the U.S. marketplace.

byChristian Gilbertsen|
Mercedes-Benz Could Build, Sell X-Class Pickup Truck in America
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Before Mercedes pulls the trigger on the X-Class—the mid-sized pickup it intends to build soon enough—the German automaker is doing its due diligence on the truck in the U.S. According to Automotive News, Volker Mornhinweg, divisional head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, mentioned that Mercedes is "looking closely at growing demand" for mid-size pickups in the U.S. in order to determine whether the X-Class would make a viable business case in the American market. 

Historically, we Americans have preferred our pickups full-sized, an assumption that has deterred Mercedes from inserting its Nissan-based pickup into our market. In recent years, though, Americans have been scooping up mid-sized pickups left and right, and Mercedes has taken notice. 

"In the past year the mid-sized truck market has come back a bit. General Motors is launching a mid-sized truck," Mornhinweg said. "We are watching developments very closely, and we will [make] a decision at the appropriate time."

Mercedes wouldn't be the first automaker to react to American consumers' growing demand for mid-sized pickups. General Motors, Toyota, and Honda have all introduced entirely new mid-sized pickups in the past couple of years. 

And the Mercedes pickup might even be good news for the U.S. manufacturing sector. If the automaker went for it, Mornhinweg mentioned that the German automaker would likely build a new production facility in the U.S. to handle demand for the X-Class. 

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