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Carsales Staff16 Apr 2015
NEWS

Merc GLT will be no 'fat cowboy truck'

All-new Mercedes-Benz GLT-Class ute to span full range from workhorse to pleasure seeker

Mercedes-Benz has proclaimed its all-new ute – expected to be called the GLT-Class – will not be a "Fat cowboy truck for North America."

In an interview with CAR Magazine, Mercedes-Benz Vans chief Volker Mornhinweg also said the company's upcoming Nissan Navara-based one-tonner will be available in a wide variety of variants, from workhorse to leisure vehicle.

Due on sale by early 2019, the first mid-size Mercedes-Benz ute was confirmed by Daimler last month after it leaked this first teaser sketch.

CAR Magazine has now published two further sketches produced by Designwerk and says the dual-cab, which could also be produced in single-cab and other body styles, will be known as the GLT.

The nomenclature is consistent with Mercedes' existing SUV model family – rather than its commercial vehicle line-up – which includes the small GLA, mid-size GLC (GLK replacement), GLE (facelifted M-Class), GLS (facelifted GL) and the legendary G-Class.

Mercedes is yet to revel any technical details of its first mid-size ute, which will be based on the next-generation Navara ute (due on sale here by June) and the latest vehicle co-developed with Renault-Nissan.

The GLT will follow smart's latest fortwo/forfour micro-cars, which will share a platform with the next Renault Twingo but won't be sold here, as well as Infiniti's new Q30/QX30 small cars, which borrow the Daimler MFA platform that underpins the Benz A/B/CLA/GLA-Class.

In a role-reversing joint-venture that was previously killed off by Daimler in 2013 and now resurrected under the 'Project Andrew' codename, Nissan's new D23 Navara will donate its ladder frame and rolling chassis for the GLT, which will employ a different exterior, interior and engines.

That will make it a direct competitor for Australia's top-selling light commercials, including the Toyota HiLux (a new generation of which is due here later this year), as well as the Mitsubishi Triton (which will be replaced next month), the new Navara and the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 (both of which will be facelifted in coming months).

Indeed, Mornhinweg said the new Benz ute will not go head-to-head with dominant full-size North American pick-ups like the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram, but instead target established players in the world's four top mid-size truck markets – Latin America, South Africa, Europe and Australia.

"We are not going to develop a fat cowboy truck for North America," he told CAR. "After all, the big three – Ford, GM/GMC and Ram – already own about 90 per cent of that market, which typically absorbs in excess of two million units per year.

"In this cut-throat environment, newcomers like us would invariably fight an arduous uphill battle. That's why our focus is on a smaller and lighter pick-up truck which is already perceived as premium product in South America, Africa and the Middle East."

Mornhinweg told CAR the GLT will be built in three distinct equipment grades, including an entry model directed at trades people and a premium 'lifestyle' model, like its chief rivals.

"Modern pick-ups are becoming increasingly car-like," he said. "We shall take account of this trend by offering a wide choice of drivetrains as well as three different equipment levels provisionally labelled workhorse, dual use and leisure and family.

"Marketing expects dual-use to be the undisputed best-seller with the base and premium packs splitting the remaining 50 per cent."

The GLT is expected to be offered with four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel Mercedes engines, matched to six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic transmissions, as well as live-axle rear-drive and 4MATIC four-wheel drive and independent rear suspension options.

Pricing should be in line with the most popular utes from the US and Japanese brands, meaning a range between about $20,000 and $60,000.

CAR says the GLT's instrument panel will take inspiration from the GLC and GLE SUVs, and that it will join the Triton in offering an (electric) sliding rear window, as well as coming with a unique tailgate that can be locked at both 90- and 180-degree angles.

"The customers out there are waiting for the Mercedes among the mid-size pick-ups," Mornhinweg told CAR. "We shall give them exactly what they ask for: impeccable fit and finish, top-notch safety and comfort, excellent vehicle dynamics and state-of-the-art connectivity.

"Yes, our vehicle looks plain and simple. But it is highly functional, it offers best-in-class passenger space in row two, the ergonomics leave nothing to be desired, and the materials used clearly exceed typical pick-up standards."

According to Daimler, the worldwide market for mid-size pick-ups is around 2.3 million units per annum, and the dominant player is Toyota's HiLux/Tacoma, which attracts around 700,000 yearly sales, followed by Nissan, Isuzu, Ford and GMC. Volkswagen's Amarok has snared just three per cent of the market since its 2010 launch.

Light commercials account for about 20 per cent of the total new-vehicle market in Australia, where about 200,000 are sold annually, making it the world's fourth largest market.

It's understood the GLT will be produced by Nissan alongside the D23/NP300 Navara, which will be manufactured in Spain, Argentina (where Renault will also produce its first one-tonne ute) and, for Australia, Thailand.

"We've been part of this from the very beginning and we are genuinely excited," Mercedes-Benz's Australian PR chief David McCarthy told motoring.com.au last month.

Second and third sketches courtesy of CAR Magazine

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