Mercedes to launch a pickup truck outside the United States

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz plans to launch a mid-sized pickup truck, expanding its premium brand into a lower-priced bracket in a bid to narrow the sales gap with arch rival BMW (BMWG.DE). Pickup trucks have gained popularity in recent months as gasoline prices eased, with sales of such models accounting for 90 percent of global pretax margins at General Motors (GM.N) and Ford (F.N), according to analysts. Mercedes, owned by Daimler (DAIGn.DE), said on Friday it would launch a mid-sized pickup truck in the next five years, adding customers were increasingly demanding trucks that have features traditionally found in passenger cars.

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