What do Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have in common? Up to now not much. Both are leading car manufacturers with very distinct markets and vehicle ranges, but now Nissan and Mercedes-Benz will be working together to create a signature high end truck for Mercedes-Benz. Wait, WHAT?!
The Nissan-Mercedes Luxury Bakkie
A Mercedes-Benz bakkie? Don’t get me wrong, Mercedes-Benz is a fantastic developer with some truly beautiful and innovative vehicles in its garage, but a bakkie? The traditional bakkie driver doesn’t exactly seem like the type of person to go for a Merc. Except they would. For years across South Africa farmers have been driving Mercs like maniacs all over back roads and dirt roads not only because they had enough space to get the whole family to church, but they also had amazing suspension systems. But still a bakkie? Is this a crazy idea, or has the traditional bakkie market changed significantly over the past decade or two?
Before we look at that, let’s just take a look at what Nissan and Mercedes are planning. The new unnamed vehicle will be a mid-sized double cab bakkie based on the NP300 and will be aimed at growing the Mercedes market globally with markets planned in Latin America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. This isn’t the first time that Nissan and Mercedes have worked together. Since 2010 they have shared designs and plants, and collaborated on 13 vehicles, but this will be the first time that Mercedes works on a bakkie with Nissan.
But is there a market for high end luxury bakkies? Considering that a large number of the bestselling vehicles in the USA in the last few months have been high end ‘pickup’ trucks. It turns out that the bakkie segments is no longer just for the stereotypical khaki clad anymore with the average price of a quarter of the large Ford trucks sold in the USA costing more than half a million rand each. We’ve seen the bakkie market steadily become more refined each year as the desire for a comfortable and capable off-road vehicle increases. Nissan has been selling bakkies for more than 80 years with more than 14 million being sold since 1933, so it knows what it is talking about when it makes a bakkie! The Nissan Hardbody itself has changed over the years as it has become more and more upmarket, while the NP300 itself has quietly been making a name for itself as one of the most reliable and hardworking bakkies around.
So when will we know more? Hopefully shortly. Mercedes-Benz is busy talking about extending the target market of this new bakkie to the USA, a move which might provide additional impetus for the vehicle. At best we can expected it around 2018 or 19.
What do you think? Is this madness or the best idea that the motoring industry has ever had?
