for a new mid-size pickup truck was no April Fools’ Day stunt, with the German automaker since confirming that the vehicle is headed for launch towards the end of the decade as a rival to the likes of the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok. So far, the Mercedes pickup has only been confirmed for the Australian, European, Latin American and South African markets, but there’s still the chance we’ll see it in local showrooms. The U.S. is, after all, the world's biggest market for pickup trucks.
Speaking with Automotive News (subscription required), Mercedes’s U.S. chief Steve Cannon said a decision on local sales of the new pickup will be made by the end of the year, and if given the green light for this market the vehicle would be positioned more as a luxury lifestyle vehicle than a traditional workhorse. In line with this positioning, the vehicle would be sold in all Mercedes dealerships, not just the ones currently offering the automaker’s existing commercial vehicles like the Sprinter and upcoming Metris.