Cars and Drivers

Mercedes-Benz to Launch Pickup Truck

Saying that the market is “primed” for a new mid-size pickup truck from a premium manufacturer, Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz cars and vans, said on Friday that it will expand its product line to include such a vehicle “before the end of the decade.” The main markets for the new trucks, according to the company, are Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Europe.

In the United States, the mid-size pickup segment is represented by the Tacoma from Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), the new Chevy Colorado from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and the Nissan Frontier. GM’s GMC brand also offers a Canyon mid-size, and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) offers its Ridgeline. In February, all five models sold a total of 27,690 units, according to Kelley Blue Book, and essentially half that total were Tacoma sales.

What inquiring minds want to know is how much a Mercedes pickup could cost. Here is what the company had to say in its press release:

The midsize pickup segment is currently undergoing a transformation worldwide. More and more pickups are being used for private purposes, and commercial as well as private users are increasingly asking for vehicles that have car-like specifications.

While Mercedes may just have noticed that the mid-size pickup segment is undergoing a transformation, the full-size pickup began its transformation into a more car-like vehicle years ago. A 2015 Ford F-450 Platinum, four-door, four-wheel drive, V8 diesel engine and a few other items carries a base price of $69,825. Loaded, the truck costs more than $77,000.

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A base model similarly styled Chevy Colorado carries an MSRP of around $34,000. The Colorado does not have a diesel engine and its maximum towing power is far below the F-450’s. Still, loaded up with options the truck tops $40,000.

Mercedes must figure that it can charge something between those $40,000 and $80,000 for the new mid-size pickup and the company is most likely right. After all, the Mercedes is unlikely to be marketed as a work truck. As the saying goes, “All hat and no cattle.”

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