Can a car really be beauty and the beast?
I have a pair of those really expensive wellies, Hunters, sitting at home by the front door. So shiny and pristine they look like they can’t wait for a big mud inducing downfall to go out and about and show their worth. But the thing is I can’t bear to get them dirty – they’ve actually been sat inactive for months. Guess I’ll have to bite the bullet when festival season comes along though – gotta have the look.
If you’re wondering what this pre-amble has to do with vehicle related news… Well I was just comparing my wellies to how I think I’d feel if I had the latest pick-up truck – the Mercedes X Class - set to hit the forecourts next year. Branded as the first ‘premium’ pick-up truck, it’s venturing into an area where its rivals are yet to go.
It’s an off-road beast with oversized tyres, an electric winch and as you’d hope, a fire extinguisher on the dash. But alongside this rough and ready side is gentile luxury. There’s black leather upholstery with lemon yellow accents on the interior to match the lemon-yellow paint job outside. Then there’s also the promise that it comes with “precise steering, a comfortable ride, and agile cornering.” Not the adjectives you’d normally associate with such a vehicle.
Sounds like the best of all worlds rolled into one. So, who’ll be buying it? Surprisingly, although everywhere I look at the moment I see a pick-up truck, the UK only takes 0.5% of market share of the vehicle. They’re most popular in Australia, accounting for 14.1% of the market, then Argentina where the figure is 11.6% and after that Brazil, where they take a 5% share. Kind of makes sense as there are more rugged road trips across those lands than the usual M4 trip that most of us count as an adventure in these parts.
However, we do like our Mercedes cars here, the executive saloon C-Class, is the sixth most popular car in the UK at the moment. I bet there’s a good market for those that wouldn’t previously have considered a pick-up truck to have their interest piqued by this one - a smooth car that offers a whole new potential for adventure could be tempting.
But back to the wellies. My concern is that I’d be worried about getting my beautiful new off road beast dirty, which would kind of defeat the point. Not sure a trip to Tesco and back would make it worthwhile – although it would look pretty cool.
If you’re wondering what this pre-amble has to do with vehicle related news… Well I was just comparing my wellies to how I think I’d feel if I had the latest pick-up truck – the Mercedes X Class - set to hit the forecourts next year. Branded as the first ‘premium’ pick-up truck, it’s venturing into an area where its rivals are yet to go.
It’s an off-road beast with oversized tyres, an electric winch and as you’d hope, a fire extinguisher on the dash. But alongside this rough and ready side is gentile luxury. There’s black leather upholstery with lemon yellow accents on the interior to match the lemon-yellow paint job outside. Then there’s also the promise that it comes with “precise steering, a comfortable ride, and agile cornering.” Not the adjectives you’d normally associate with such a vehicle.
Sounds like the best of all worlds rolled into one. So, who’ll be buying it? Surprisingly, although everywhere I look at the moment I see a pick-up truck, the UK only takes 0.5% of market share of the vehicle. They’re most popular in Australia, accounting for 14.1% of the market, then Argentina where the figure is 11.6% and after that Brazil, where they take a 5% share. Kind of makes sense as there are more rugged road trips across those lands than the usual M4 trip that most of us count as an adventure in these parts.
However, we do like our Mercedes cars here, the executive saloon C-Class, is the sixth most popular car in the UK at the moment. I bet there’s a good market for those that wouldn’t previously have considered a pick-up truck to have their interest piqued by this one - a smooth car that offers a whole new potential for adventure could be tempting.
But back to the wellies. My concern is that I’d be worried about getting my beautiful new off road beast dirty, which would kind of defeat the point. Not sure a trip to Tesco and back would make it worthwhile – although it would look pretty cool.
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