Mercedes-Benz Vans boss Volker Mornhinweg said pickups are moving upmarket, just like SUVs have done. «SUVs are elegant lifestyle products with a high-quality finish to them. Not every customer takes them into the wilderness anymore. We believe pickups could go in a similar direction,» he told Automotive News Europe.

Until now, Daimler’s vans division has been overwhelmingly dependent on Europe, with 70 percent of its 360,000-unit volume coming from the region last year. With the X class, Daimler is targeting a diverse customer group from farmers in South America, building contractors in Australia, families in Brazil, and trend-conscious individuals in Europe and South Africa.

The pickup aims to tap into surging demand for vehicles capable of transporting one-ton payloads and towing an additional 3.5 tons. Mercedes forecasts volumes for this type of truck will grow by nearly half to 3 million vehicles worldwide in the next 10 years.

The X class will go on sale in Europe in November, in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand early next year and in Argentina and Brazil in 2019. For now, Mercedes says it has no plans to sell the X class in the U.S. where demand is mainly for full-size pickups.

French market researchers Inovev forecast annual X class sales to be 50,000 a year with 20,000 sold in Europe, 20,000 in South America and 10,000 in South Africa.

‘Several challenges’

In a research note, JATO Dynamics said the X class is the first attempt to prove that the premium touch can work in a pickup. It said the model will face «several challenges» in Europe where customers consider pickups to be work vehicles and prefer smaller cars.

As part of Daimler’s industrial cooperation with Renault-Nissan, the X class uses the same platform as the Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan with a conventional ladder-type frame. This reinforces the long steel support on each side to give the truck its robust construction over the unibody format used by most automobiles.

To better offset lower levels of comfort and handling in these kind of trucks, Mercedes introduced more complex and expensive features typically found in passenger cars such as a double-wishbone suspension for the front wheels. Instead of the usual leaf springs and drum brakes on the load-bearing rear axle, the X class was given coil springs and brake discs to give the vehicle a better ride performance and shorter braking distances on paved surfaces.

Fast facts

Engines: Two Nissan four-cylinder, 2.3-liter diesels with 163 hp or 190 hp. A high-torque Mercedes 255-hp 3.0-liter V-6 diesel will be released mid-2018.

Safety equipment: Active brake and lane keeping assistance systems, along with cruise control and trailer stability assistance.

Personalization: Customers who don’t like an open flatbed can order an aluminum roll cover or stainless steel Style Bars, or a removable hardtop canopy that gives the pickup a more SUV-like silhouette.

Base price: 37,294 euros (Germany)

Where built: Barcelona, Spain (for Europe); Cordoba, Argentina (for South America)

Main rivals: VW Amarok, Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara

As described in the patent, the system first determines whether it’s safe for the vehicle to traverse an off-road obstacle. This capability is possible via a sensor that detects the presence of such an obstacle and sends a signal to a processor. If the challenging surface is safe to clear, the system controls the active suspension system to complete the task. It can also generate an alert if it determines it’s better for passengers to exit before the vehicle clears the obstacle.

The autonomous system allows vehicles to tackle many different types of environmental obstacles. If the system detects large rocks, for instance, it will adjust the suspension settings to accommodate rock crawling mode. Other examples given include ground clearance avoidance mode and ditch crossing mode. The system may even combine these modes or other modes depending on the surface the vehicle has to cross.

For safety purposes, the system considers a host of risk factors including roll-overs, traction loss, and loss of control when deciding whether or not to clear an obstacle. If the risk factors are below the maximum threshold but at an intermediate level, the system will determine it’s only safe to drive through the obstacle autonomously. It will also ask passengers to exit the vehicle before continuing the maneuver. In situations deemed too risky, the vehicle will tell the driver to pursue another path.

The system could use lidar, radar, camera, or ultrasound sensors as well as map data to help it traverse detected obstacles. The patent also mentions the vehicle could be controlled through a remote control device.

The document shows pictures of a pickup truck, although the system can also be applied to other vehicles, even those not associated with off-roading. “The vehicle may include any passenger or commercial automobile such as a car, a truck, a sport utility vehicle, a crossover vehicle, a van, a minivan, a taxi, a bus, etc.,” says the patent.

his isn’t the first time we’ve heard of autonomous off-road technology. Jaguar Land Rover has showcased a Range Rover Sport that can be remote-controlled through off-road obstacles with the driver standing outside the vehicle.

Having some help from an autonomous system could prove handy if you land in a ditch and need to find a way out. It’s unclear exactly how Ford plans to roll out this technology in future vehicles, if it even will.