Don't expect BMW to follow Mercedes-Benz into the pickup segment.
"It is always about staying true to the brand," says Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America. "It is about driving, not transporting others."
Daimler and Nissan are developing a midsize pickup for Mercedes-Benz, and Mercedes' U.S. sales arm is studying whether to sell a version.
"It may fit their brand, but not ours," said Willisch, pointing out that, unlike Mercedes, BMW does not build buses or trucks.
Of course, BMW has changed its corporate mind before. Willisch concedes that the X7 full-size crossover being developed for sale in two to three years was a new direction for the brand.
"It changes over time," he says. "At one point we did not think we could go into the truck business at all."
