Mercedes-Benz drives in new SUV GLC in India; eyes double-digit sales growth this year

Luxury auto maker Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday launched the latest version of its premium SUV GLC in India with price starting at Rs 73.5 lakh (ex-showroom). The second generation GLC comes with petrol and diesel power trains tagged at Rs 73.5 lakh and Rs 74.5 lakh, respectively. The auto maker said the company has received over 1,500 bookings for the model since the start of the booking process. In an interaction with PTI, Mercedes-Benz India Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) Lance Bennett said the company is looking at a double-digit sales growth this year with GLC sales expected to account for 15 per cent of the company's total sales.

"We've got some really good demand in the first couple of weeks of order taking. The GLC is a very important product for us," he said. Bennett said Mercedes-Benz has sold over 13,000 units of the previous generation GLC in India and expects robust demand for the new GLC as well. Locally assembled at the company's manufacturing plant at Chakan in Pune, GLC is the company's highest selling SUV in the country and also a key product globally.

The SUV comes in two variants -- the GLC 300 4MATIC and the GLC 220d 4MATIC -- featuring the all-wheel 4MATIC as standard providing traction on all terrains. The new GLC is also the first in the Mercedes-Benz SUV portfolio to get the latest NTG 7 infotainment system, the company said and added that it also has larger dimensions than its predecessor, which helps in packing in significantly more cabin and boot space.

Bennett said GLC is one of the 14 models the company assembles at its Chakan plant. On whether the company is looking to assemble more products in the country, he said the auto maker keeps evaluating such proposals. Regarding plans for the upcoming festive season, Bennett said the company is in the process of ramping up supplies to deliver cars to customers during the period.

On new product launches, Bennett said the company has already introduced five products in the country this year and is gearing up to drive in more vehicles by 2023-end. "In the second half of the year, we've got five products that we plan to launch. One of those will be an EV," he said. The GLC 300 4MATIC trim comes with a 2-litre petrol engine and can reach a top speed of 240 km/hr while GLC 220d 4MATIC variant features 2-litre diesel engine and a top speed of 219 km/hr.

Catch the latest minute-by-minute stock market updates here. For all other news related to business, politics, tech, sports, and auto, visit Zeebiz.com.