Cape Town - Two premium automakers could be set to go head-to-head in the bakkie market if comments by BMW Australia boss, Marc Werner, are to be believed.
Speaking to www.motoring.com.au earlier in July, about whether the Bavarian company would be building a bakkie, Werner said: "Never say never."
However, Werner said that BMW would face more obstacles on its route to making the company's first pick-up.
*Remember the M3 bakkie?
Mercedes' one-ton bakkie will make its way to South Africa in 2017, it will share the same underpinnings as the next-generation Nissan NP300.
More: Pics! Merc's SA-bound bakkie spotted
Could BMW use its synergy with Toyota and use theHilux as the basis for its own bakkie?
You may recall in January 2014, BMW and Toyota agreed to develop a joint platform for future sports cars, according to BMW's development chief Herbert Diess.
#BMW M3 'ute is the ultimate performance pickup https://t.co/8wj539CvZq via .@AutoweekUSA pic.twitter.com/BTlOMe9Sri
— Thompson BMW (@Thompson_BMW) July 26, 2016
Werner said that high-end bakkies would be in demand in the future and that Mercedes will have a head start on premium brands in the utility market.
We'll keep you posted on any developments.
*You might remember an April Fools Joke a few years ago when the company released an image of an M3 bakkie.