Mercedes-Benz recently introduced its all-new pickup truck concept - the X-Class. While the car is touted to be the first pickup to be built by Mercedes-Benz, the Stuttgart-based carmaker's recent social media post says otherwise. Apparently, Mercedes-Benz Argentina had made its first mass-market attempt at the segment back in the '70s itself with locally assembled pickup truck built around the W114/W115 generation of vehicles.
Mercedes W114/W115 Pickup Cabin
According to Mercedes, at that time, the W114/W115s were sent to Argentina as CKD (complete knock-down) unit for reassembly in Latin America. Someone in the company's division in Argentina decided to create a car-based pickup truck by adding platforms onto the chassis, behind the B-pillar. The interesting bit is this pickup was actually sold in Argentina by some of the top Mercedes-Benz dealerships. In fact, they even came up with a wow name to capture the imagination: "La Pickup".
Mercedes W114/W115 Pickup Features
As mentioned earlier, this limited run Mercedes pickup was essentially the W114/W115 sedan that was converted into a single cab car-based pickup. The front end remains exactly similar to the sedan with the chic chrome grille, vertical headlamps with chrome bezels, a solid chrome front bumper and the three-pointed star logo for a hood ornament. The truck's redesigned rear portion came with a bed that looks to be just a few wood panels and the way that the tailgate dips down, indicates that there wasn't a conventional tailgate either. There was also a proper wall partition behind the B-Pillar with a glass window.
Mercedes W114/W115 Pickup Flatbed
Coming to Mercedes' current and official attempt at a pickup truck, the new Mercedes-Benz X-Class, according to the automaker, has been designed to offer the best of both worlds. That is the functionality, toughness and off-road capability of a conventional pick-up truck and the high-tech amenities, comfort, and luxury features of a Mercedes-Benz sedan or a crossover. Interestingly, the X-Class for the Latin American market will also be built in Argentina at Renault's plant in Cordoba, with the launch slated for 2018.
