If there's anyone in the world that a pickup truck will succeed... NA is the place. US more-so. But, it just looks like they're not confident they'll get the sales which is why they're poking around different excuses to keep it out of NA.
Another Reason The X-Class May Not Be Sold In The US
Mercedes has already announced their plan to sell the first generation X-Class pickup truck in Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia, with the United States getting the next iteration of it. Now it seems like the manufacturer has another reason why they won't be selling the C-class in the States.
In an interview with Autoblog, Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche just doesn't think that the X-class was physically large enough to be a success in America.
"In the US aligning the premium to the midsize is kind of a contradiction because a premium truck is a fullsize truck," he said. "Therefore ... we do not see the US market as a relevant market or a suitable market for that truck."
Essentially, Mercedes thinks US buyers will only go for a premium pickup truck like the X-Class if it is a full sized vehicle like the F-150, Ram 1500 or Silverado. So far, their research is telling them that there just isn't a market in the US for an unproven midsize pickup truck.
"If there were opportunity for this product in the US, of course we would go for it," said Zetsche.
There's definitely a market for midsized trucks in North America with how well the GMC Canyon and Toyota Tacoma were doing last year. Does everyone think there's an opportunity for the X-Class to succeed in NA?
