Nissan has said that “everything is on the table” between it and Mercedes-Benz, including the possibility of collaborating on the recently announced Mercedes-Benz ute.
BOTH NISSAN AND DAIMLER AG have a global partnership that involves new vehicle development, small-car sourcing and joint-venture factories in the US. But while Nissan clearly has the capability and expertise in producing a ute, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has said that while Mercedes-Benz and Nissan could work together to produce the ute “They are completely free to do it by themselves, to do it with somebody else, etc, and also, or to do it with us”.
“Dieter [Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche] announced that Daimler is going to go into the pickup truck. Good. That’s it. There’s no more information,” Ghosn added, dismissing press speculation about a possible Nissan role at the New York Motor Show.
“Is this something that can eventually be on the table? I told you, everything is on the table between us.
“For the moment,” Ghosn said, “there is no decision. A decision will be done by them eventually. So you’re going to have to wait.”
Maybe. This week the Wall Street Journal quoted ‘insider’ sources suggesting the new Mercedes-Benz ute would be based off the Navara platform with Daimler providing key technologies, including engines, and that it might even be produced in Nissan factories.
Closer to home, Practical Motoring was told the Mercedes-Benz ute would be competitive with the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger and that Australian engineers would have a hand in its development.
