Volkswagen’s management has proven itself to be excellent at a few things. They can run a hell of a company, they’re good at (ahem) crisis management, and they’re rapidly earning their entry to the Player Haters Ball.
A few weeks ago we heard Matthias Müller drop the mic on Tesla (boy, did that turn out to be prescient) and now VW’s Australian head of communications, Paul Pottinger, had a few choice words for Mercedes’ “new” pickup truck, the X-Class.
“It’s very difficult to disguise a Nissan Navara,” Pottinger told Motoring after seeing the X-Class for the first time. “If I was a buyer I might be surprised [with the quality]. When a Mercedes-Benz owner opens the door and sees Nissan hinges, the game might be up.”
The question of German quality in pickups is anything but academic in Australia, where VW’s own pickup, the Amarok sells rather well.
The X-Class, rather than being designed, built, or even really touched by Mercedes, will be built at Renault’s Cordoba, Argentina plant as of 2019.
We wait with bated breath for the next corporate burn VW has to offer.
