Upcoming Mercedes Pickup to Get Premium Treatment

The midsize Mercedes-Benz pickup truck that Daimler AG is developing with the Renault-Nissan alliance will be a "real Mercedes" with an upscale design and premium features, Daimler board member Thomas Weber tells reporters in Australia.

Weber says the pickup Mercedes' first entry in the segment will be significantly differentiated from Nissan's Navara, upon which it is based. The Navara also is marketed as the Frontier pickup.

Australia's CarAdvice magazine speculates the Mercedes model will include a multilink rear suspension and other Mercedes safety and performance systems, as well as brand-specific styling. Mercedes' more powerful V-6 3.0-liter diesel engine is expected to be used in place of the Navara's 2.3-liter twin-turbo diesel.

The new pickup will be built at Nissan's factories in Argentina and Spain. Sales are expected to begin within the next three to five years. Mercedes said in April it will decided by year-end whether to offer the pickup in the American market.