The Mercedes-Benz X-Class bakkie will reportedly be discontinued due to poor sales.
Automotive News Europe quoted sources at Daimler as saying that the pickup will be dropped as the company seeks to reduce costs, although they didn't say when.
The X-Class was launched internationally in 2017, and in SA last year, as a premium double-cab bakkie based on the Nissan Navara, initially with a Nissan four-cylinder turbo diesel engine and later with a more powerful Mercedes V6 added to the line-up.
However, the bakkie has proven less popular than expected, and last year only 16,700 units were sold in Europe, Australia and SA. It has sold less than 500 units in SA this year, compared with rivals like the market-leading Toyota Hilux, which has garnered around 20,000 sales.
The X-Class is expensive, with the range-topping V6 model selling for around R1m. It has also received mixed reviews, with criticism levelled at the quality of its interior.
Several recalls also hit sales, among other things because of a footwell light that can come loose and jam under the brake pedal.
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. It is built at Nissan's factory in Barcelona, Spain.
According to Automotive News, former Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche earlier this year abandoned plans to build the bakkie for South American markets at a Renault-Nissan plant in Argentina.
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