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Could a Mercedes-Benz Pickup Be in America’s Future?

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A Mercedes-Benz pickup could be coming to America

A Mercedes-Benz pickup could be coming to America

Last week, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz announced that it would be launching its first pickup truck by 2020 (and the very first from a premium automaker), but, an important note, it is not yet headed for American shores. In fact, for now, the Mercedes-Benz pickup is intended for European, Australian, Latin American, and South American markets. But that doesn’t mean America won’t be added to the list.

According to The Detroit News, Stephen Cannon, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, said at this week’s New York International Auto Show, that an American version of the Mercedes pickup truck “is something we are going to look at.” He added, “We’re going to evaluate it and see if it makes sense for the US market. This is the largest pickup market in the world.”

Cannon has a point: America does love pickups. But that company’s reservations are well-founded as well. Americans often use pickups in the way they are intended—to do hard, dirty work, something you wouldn’t want to do in a super expensive luxury automobile.

BMW’s North American President, Ludwig Willisch, seems to agree. According to him, BMW hasn’t even considered a luxury pickup. But Cannon was sure to point out that a luxury pickup from Mercedes would not be one taken to a jobsite, like F-150s and Silverados are. “These aren’t going to jobsites,” he promised. “There are customers in Mercedes-Benz demographics that can afford a Mercedes-Benz pickup.” He clarified, though, that it has to “feel like a luxury product—even though it’s going to compete in a pickup segment.”

So when will we know for sure if we’ll be getting the damn thing? It could be another year before a decision is reached, and even then it might not be until 2018 or 2019 at the earliest that it would hit the market, so we’ve got quite a way to go.

If you’d be likely to buy one of these bad boys should they come to market, perhaps you can wait out the time with a three-year lease of another model you currently have your eye on. Otherwise, it’s going to be a miserable three years until the truck (maybe) comes to market.

News Source: The Detroit News