Just two years after Mercedes- Benz releasing its controversial X-Class into the wild. The folks from Stuggart have now decided to can the project. According to a report by Drivetribe Daimler decided to end the car's career to reduce expenses and chasing down costs.
The X-Class the Nissan Navara-based bakkie upset a lot of Mercedes-Benz fans. Even though the company also makes vans and the G-Class which has a bakkie version in the form of the G63 AMG 6x6. Fans thought that the company was diluting the Mercedes brand, especially considering the fact that the X-Class was just a Navara in a fancy suit. It shared most of its underpinnings with the Japanese bakkie.
So why is Mercedes-Benz ditching the bakkie when bakkies are so popular, in South Africa, for example, the bakkies go head to head with passenger vehicles like the Polo for sales. It turns out adding a R200k plus premium on the car it was based on didn't help much in getting the X-Class off the showroom floors. The company only shipped 16700 units in the whole of 2018, in Europe, Australia and South Africa combined. For comparison, the Toyota Hilux, the best-selling bakkie in Mzansi this year has sold more than 10 000 units in Mzansi alone, since March.
So it is clear why Daimler would want to cut its losses and focus on the core brands and the future which includes investing in electrification and cutting back on diesel-powered cars, not an easy thing to do with bakkies.
