Mercedes-Benz in Australia says the company won’t comment on “speculation” about the reported impending demise of the X-Class bakkie.

Sources at the Stuttgart-based firm told Automotive News that Daimler planned to axe the bakkie – which is, of course, based on the Nissan Navara – as part of its efforts to “reduce costs amid profit warnings”.

But, in a statement issued to CarAdvice, a Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson said “we do not comment on speculation”.

“All I can say is that the X-Class is a fixed component of our Mercedes-Benz Vans product portfolio for Australia. We are focused on continuing to establish the product in the market,” the spokesperson said.

According to the latest report, Mercedes-Benz was due to hand the X-Class a facelift in either 2020 or 2021, but is now likely to simply stop production at that date.

The initial report out of Europe claimed the firm had sold just 16 700 units of its bakkie in Europe, Australia and South Africa in 2018. Earlier in July 2019, CARmag.co.za asked Mercedes-Benz SA to provide local sales statistics (seeing the firm doesn’t report individual sales figures to Naamsa) but we received no response.

Back in April 2019, meanwhile, a German publication suggested Daimler’s new CEO had no plans to renew the firm’s partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, leading to initial speculation about the future of the X-Class...

Original article from Car