Cape Town - Mercedes-Benz has debuted what it calls the world's first "premium double-cab bakkie" at a reveal in Cape Town on July 18.
The X-Class is set to arrive locally later in 2018. Mercedes says its new X-Class will be "the first bakkie you can access via your smartphone" courtesy of its new technology.
The global launch will take place in October 2017.
And the price?
According to the automaker: "The Mercedes-Benz pick-up is attractively priced in the segment and is available in Germany from €37 294. Further market-specific prices will be made known successively."
Given the current Euro/Rand conversion, its price tag is the equivalent of R555 512 (this doesn't include import costs, Rand strength etc). The most expensive bakkie in SA is the VW Amarok double-cab 3.0 V6 TDI at R748 000. We'll have to wait closer its local launch date for SA prices and specifications.
'Trend-conscious individualists'?
According to Mercedes-Benz: "The X-Class is aimed at very different customer groups: land owners and farmers in Argentina, business owners and building contractors in Australia, families with an affinity for premium products in Brazil, trend-conscious individualists in South Africa and Great Britain as well as sporty adventurers in New Zealand and Germany."
Make of that what you will...
Engine range
Mercedes has revealed the engine range for all markets. There are three 4-cylinder engines and a single 6-cylinder unit as follows:
X 200 - 122kW/238Nm
X 220 d - 120kW/403Nm
X 250 d - 140kW/450Nm
X 350 d - 190kW/550Nm
Click here to view the event as it happened in Cape Town.
Inside:
And with a canopy...