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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
In the near future, you might be able to haul fertilizer in a Mercedes-Benz pick-up truck or bound over sand dunes in a tiny Hummer.
Those are just a couple of border-busting ideas that car companies are considering, according to a series of articles in the current issue of AutoWeek magazine.
Things can change fast in the car world. Now that Porsche makes an SUV and Honda has its own pick-up truck, carmakers are discovering that brand identities are more malleable than they might have thought.
Mercedes already has two SUVs in its line-up -- the newly redesigned M-class and the rugged-looking G-class -- and a crossover vehicle -- the R-class -- coming out this fall. Now the company is considering a four-door pick-up based on the G-class, AutoWeek says.
The all-wheel-drive truck would combine cargo hauling capabilities with a luxury-class interior, according to the magazine, which cites its "traditionally well-informed sources."
General Motors' Hummer division could consider making something even smaller than the Jeep Liberty-sized Hummer H3 that is coming out soon. Asked about the idea of a tiny dune buggy Hummer, Hummer general manager Susan Docherty told AutoWeek, "I'd love one."
"I want a pick-up truck or something smaller than the H3," Docherty said, according to the magazine.
Bentley, the British brand known for its ultra-high-end luxury cars, is considering joining the luxury SUV market, AutoWeek says, despite the fact that the company publicly denies it is considering any such thing.
The idea was pushed by Bentley's parent company, Volkswagen, according to the magazine. The plan would have Bentley produce a vehicle based on the same chassis as the upcoming Audi Q7 SUV. The Q7 is, in turn, based on the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg's shared platform.
The stories appear on the magazine's Website, AutoWeek.com.
Jaguar has been quite public about its consideration of a crossover-SUV model. While the company wouldn't consider an off-road vehicle, a sportier crossover might be just the thing to liven up the brand.
"I think what is loosely defined as the crossover segment has rather more potential for us than an SUV, where we already have good competitors," Joe Greenwell, chairman and chief executive of Ford Motor Co brands Jaguar and Land Rover, told Reuters in a story that appeared here earlier this week.
Brands mentioned in this story:
Mercedes-Benz
Hummer
Bentley
Jaguar
Related stories:
Jaguar eyes 'crossover' model
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