Mercedes-Benz Confirms One Tonne Pickup Plans

Mercedes-Benz will join fellow German carmaker Volkswagen in building a new one-tonne pickup truck for various markets.

Already famous for its much larger trucks, Benz is now promising a midsized model to tackle the might of established players like Toyota’s HiLux and the Isuzu D-Max.

Previewed as a dual-cab clay model in Germany, the new pickup will likely offer a vast combination of rear- and four-wheel-drive, petrol and diesel engines and single and dual-cab configurations.

The Mercedes-supplied artist’s sketch (top of page) shows styling lines inspired by the carmaker’s current range of SUVs, with a body that otherwise conforms to the proven formula for pickup trucks.

Four- and six-cylinder engines have been confirmed, along with both leather and chrome-filled luxury models and hose-out workhorses to cover plenty of buyer bases.

But the new model will still wear the three-pointed star with pride, described by the carmaker as the “first premium brand” pickup.

Mercedes cites a shift in pickup trucks worldwide from tough and dependable workhorses with little regard for passenger comfort (or safety), to an extension of the current SUV craze; with features such as climate control and sat-nav increasingly becoming the norm.

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