Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, has promised that the German brand’s upcoming bakkie will be “a true Mercedes” despite its Nissan underpinnings.
Zetsche was talking during a press conference at the Paris Motor Show, alongside Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn.
The new Mercedes-Benz pickup will be based on the Nissan Navara and built by the Renault-Nissan Alliance (alongside the Navara and the upcoming Renault Alaskan). Zetsche says the partnership just makes sense.
“Nissan has over 80 years of experience developing and producing pickup trucks. We are building on this knowledge and expertise,” Zetsche said, according to AutoNews.
“The midsized pickup segment is not only booming, it is at the beginning of a major transformation. More and more customers are looking for pickup trucks with car-like specifications. We will be a driving force in this change,” said Zetsche.
More details about a concept previewing the German pickup are expected to be revealed later this month.
“It’s the perfect opportunity for a sustainable portfolio extension. We have achieved scale by leveraging Nissan’s production. This will speed up our market entry to our markets in Australia, South Africa, Latin America and in Europe.
“At the same time, we will build a true Mercedes, engineered and designed by Daimler. This way, we will close one of the last remaining gaps in our product portfolio,” explained Zetsche.
“In addition to a unique exterior and interior design, the pickup will have all of Mercedes distinctive attributes in comfort and design,” he promised.
Last month, a Volkswagen executive in Australia said that the new Mercedes-Benz bakkie would “hide behind” its luxury badge, adding that it’s “going to be a very expensive Nissan”.
