Re: Rumour: Mercedes X-Class pickup to be discontinued It's good that Merc introduced a pickup, but their offering could've been much better. Here's what I think went wrong:
For one, they were going for a utilitarian appeal from what I figure and there are much better options out there which are more cost-effective, too. The cost factor is especially important when you consider the usage of someone who would want a pickup truck for work purposes.
Secondly, their offering wasn't true to what Merc stands for IMO. Rebadging aside, it didn't feel like a Merc product in and out. Honestly, this did more harm to them than good. Goes to show that simply slapping your badge on it won't make it a success based on your brand value. We've seen this happening here in India as well. There's a reason why people love the G63 6x6 - it's ridiculous in every sense of the word but it is unmistakably a Mercedes. The X-Class isn't.
I for one was quite excited when this was announced, but it seemed like a half-baked attempt. As if the higher-ups recognized that the pickup truck market was doing well/would do well and wanted to capitalize on it without getting too much skin in the game. |