Mercedes-Benz is set to expand its model range further by entering the one-ton pickup truck market for the first time, according to the CV News published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The German maker pulled the wraps off its X-Class Concept last week at an event in Stockholm and confirmed that the truck would go into production in the second half of 2017.
The X-Class will be built as part of a strategic co-operation with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, and will be based on the same chassis as the Nissan Navara and recently-previewed Renault Alaska. It will be built at the Nissan factory in Barcelona, Spain.
Its main markets will be Europe, South America and South Africa, where demand for one-ton pick-ups has been increasing in both the commercial and the leisure market sectors, and will also be a key model in Australia where such models account for over 14 per cent of the total vehicle market.
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