Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
As if Mercedes-Benz didn’t have enough cars in its lineup already, the three-pointed star from Stuttgart is currently developing a mid-size pickup truck. Yup, a workhorse with premium credentials that happens to be based on a lesser breed. Some may call this a bad decision, but other people, including me, beg to differ.
You see, we live in the era of the luxury pickup truck. A Chevrolet Colorado with all the bells & whistles imaginable costs shy of $50,000. The Ford F-150 in Limited form tops at about 70 big ones when fully loaded. Of the ten best-selling vehicles in the United States with out-the-door transaction prices greater than 50 grand, five are pickup trucks. Indeed, ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the too-many-to-list-here reasons Mercedes-Benz wants a piece of this not-so-humble pie.
The problem with the Mercedes-Benz GLT, however, is that a decision has yet to be made about bringing it to the United States of Truck Yeah. Speaking to AutoBlog, Daimler AG board member Ola Kallenius notes that the GLT pickup is “a project that is primarily for overseas markets...the US, we'll have to have a look at it, but no plans at this stage.” From my point of view, Mercedes-Benz is just playing a game of are you thinking what I’m thinking. The possibility of bringing the GLT to the U.S. isn’t a question about if, but about when.
So anyway, what you can see in the gallery below is the first-ever pre-production unit of the Mercedes-Benz GLT, spied by our crack team of carparazzi. It’s redundant to point out that the profile resembles that of the Nissan NP300 Navara. After all, the Nissan’s underpinnings are employed by the three-pointed start’s truck. Other than the different badges, headlights, front fascia, and front and rear bumpers, the GLT will also differ from its sibling when you step inside. Don’t except S-Class levels of luxury, though.
Word on the street is Mercedes will shoehorn a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel in the engine bay, as in the OM642. A concept version of the pickup truck is expected to make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. By mid-2017, the long awaited and heavily anticipated workhorse should be roaming freely.
Editor’s note: The GLT nameplate is not set in stone. The rumor mill insists that X-Class is an alternative.
The problem with the Mercedes-Benz GLT, however, is that a decision has yet to be made about bringing it to the United States of Truck Yeah. Speaking to AutoBlog, Daimler AG board member Ola Kallenius notes that the GLT pickup is “a project that is primarily for overseas markets...the US, we'll have to have a look at it, but no plans at this stage.” From my point of view, Mercedes-Benz is just playing a game of are you thinking what I’m thinking. The possibility of bringing the GLT to the U.S. isn’t a question about if, but about when.
So anyway, what you can see in the gallery below is the first-ever pre-production unit of the Mercedes-Benz GLT, spied by our crack team of carparazzi. It’s redundant to point out that the profile resembles that of the Nissan NP300 Navara. After all, the Nissan’s underpinnings are employed by the three-pointed start’s truck. Other than the different badges, headlights, front fascia, and front and rear bumpers, the GLT will also differ from its sibling when you step inside. Don’t except S-Class levels of luxury, though.
Word on the street is Mercedes will shoehorn a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel in the engine bay, as in the OM642. A concept version of the pickup truck is expected to make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. By mid-2017, the long awaited and heavily anticipated workhorse should be roaming freely.
Editor’s note: The GLT nameplate is not set in stone. The rumor mill insists that X-Class is an alternative.
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