Merc announces 1 tonne bakkie
Mercedes Benz has finally succumbed to market forces announcing that it will develop its own bakkie in partnership with Nissan.
The vehicle will be based on a Nissan design not to compete with the G-Class, Mercedes-Benz’s proven offroad truck that could easily have doubled as a 1-tonne bakkie. “Together, Nissan and Daimler will develop a 1-ton pickup truck for Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Benz pickup will share some of the architecture with the all-new Nissan NP300 but it will be engineered and designed by Daimler to meet the specific needs of its customers. The vehicle will have all of Mercedes Benz’ distinctive characteristics and features.” The pickup will feature a double cab and will be targeted both at personal-use and commercial customers. The primary target markets for the truck are Europe, Australia, southern Africa and Latin America. “Mercedes-Benz is the fastest growing premium brand in the world,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Entering the rapidly growing segment of midsize pickups is an important step in continuing our global growth path.
Thanks to our well-established partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, we are able to drastically reduce the time and cost to enter this key segment.”
