April 12: Crazy for pick-ups

Let's get right to it.......this is a guesstimate of what the new for 2019 or 2020 Mercedes Benz pick-up truck will look like. Benz has for years been associated with taxis and trucks. Everything from heavy haulers to the smaller (but not small) Sprinter van that, has been doing stellar duty in North America for the past few years. So should it come as any surprise that Mercedes would add a pick-up to their line up? The question is, what kind of a truck will it be? A utilitarian model or something an urban cowboy would love to be seen in? Good question, but until its unveiling at the Paris auto show this fall, this will all be conjecture.

One thing we do know, is that Mercedes has a relationship with Nissan/Infiniti and has already shared models with the GLA and the QX30 small crossovers. So, will they also share a current Nissan truck that, is being sold in other parts of the world? If so, it would be the Navara........

This pick-up comes in a variety of body styles and looks pretty good. Look closely and you can see that the Benz in the top pic is simply a Navara modified with a Benz front end. Unlikely it would bear this close a family resemblance, but it shows you a possible way Benz could go.

As cars, or at least certain types of cars, seem to be going by the wayside, not surprising that the companies are filling in these other niches. Remember the mid-sized pick-up that, all but disappeared until GM resurrected it last year? Now Ford has said they would be bringing back the Ranger........

......that is currently sold in other markets (what is with copper coloured trucks?). Last year, in one of my blogs, I said that Ford would not be slow to get back into this segment and I thought the Ranger would be their flag bearer. Well, looks like I was right.

Who else might also try it out?

Sure, Ram would be a given, since they sold their Dakota here for many years. Again, this photo is conjecture, but since Fiat has this new Toro overseas, how hard would it be to Americanize it, as they have done rather superficially with the ProMaster vans?

Take off that Fiat badge, since it only works on cute little cars, throw on a Ram type of front end (as in the top pic) and buddy, you are good to go. Oh, and let's beef up those wheels and tires a couple of sizes. One way or another, expect Ram to join the party.

One company that I'm surprised hasn't seen fit to sell a pick-up over here is VW. After all, they have the Amarok in many other markets and it looks as ready to be sold in North America, as does the Honda Ridgeline........

Again, rest assured that there will not be a diesel option, if the Amarok ever reaches our shores. It's a natural though. Right?

 Any other bright ideas, Barry? Not really, but for fun, what might another player look like, if they felt a pick-up was a badly needed part of their product line? Some enterprising soul has already tried it with a BMW.......

......but since they have no real truck history (forget about their suvs), I think this would be the longest of long shots. But how about Lexus? No history there either, but thru Toyota they have a vehicle that could easily be Lexus modified......

Yeah, and that front end looks as bad on a truck as it does on their cars. Look, let's be frank, this is never going to happen, but the Mercedes will and all we have to do is wait until Paris in the fall. Have patience, my friends.

Until next time......