Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup concept unveiled; to enter production in 2017

German luxury car-maker Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off X-Class pickup concept at the Artipelag art museum in Stockholm, Sweden. The first premium pickup of the company has been unveiled with two design variants. The concept X-Class stylish explorer stresses on the style of the vehicle, while X-Class powerful adventurer illustrates strengths of a classic pickup such as tough, functional, strong, and with off-road capability.

The X-class is based on the ladder-frame platform that also underpins the Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan. The X-Class has been developed from the joint venture of Mercedes-Benz and Renault-Nissan Alliance and it will be produced at Nissan's factory in Barcelona for European markets and Renault plant in Cordoba, Argentina for Latin American markets.

The face of both concept variants features typical Mercedes-Benz styling elements such as traditional grille with a prominent centrally mounted three-point star emblem. The design of the headlamp is also in line with the S-Class, E-Class and the C-Class. The pea-green powerful adventurer version comes with increased ground clearance, 4x4 system, beefy wheel arch and body side cladding and off-road tyres. A prominent scuff plate integrated with the front bumper and winch convey the go-anywhere capability of the powerful adventurer version.

The pearl white coloured stylish explorer version looks near to the production. It has a more athletic theme with sculpted bonnet and flared front-wheel arches. The concepts come with V6 diesel in combination with a 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive. The production version is expected to be powered by a range of four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

"With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio. Our target: we want to offer customers vehicles matching their specific needs. The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment," said Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. 

The key markets targeted by Mercedes-Benz with the new X-class include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and South Africa. The production version of the X-Class has been confirmed by the end of 2017.