Mercedes GLC - the dream of SUV throne in Vietnam

After stopping production of the GLK for nearly 10 months, the German automaker marked its return to the small luxury SUV segment with 650 GLC orders.

New luxury SUV with two versions GLC 300 4Matic and GLC 250 4Matic.

First appeared in 2009,GLK has things that domestically assembled Mercedes cars do not have such as being taller than a sedan, not as massive as the GL-class, and the engine is not too big.The facelift version appeared later in 2012, the GLK was made softer with headlights hugging the body, decorated with additional LED strips, 3D double-sided grille, and curved air vents.

In 2013, the GLK250 version was added alongside the GLK300 and GLK220 CDI - diesel engine version, and keptThe "quality" of a luxury SUV with a high torque engine and 4Matic drive system. In July 2015, when Mercedes Vietnam stopped producing the GLK, 1,980 SUVs were delivered to customers and became the best-selling luxury SUV model of Mercedes Vietnam.

GLK production stopped at the beginning of the 2015-2016 car selling season, and sales immediately fell to competitors, notably the rise of the Lexus RX350.

GLC is expected to succeed GLK to become the best-selling luxury SUV in Vietnam.

Born to replace the GLK, Mercedes' SUV model is called GLC, a new naming system according to the German car company, meaning it is developed from a common platform with the C-class. GLC repeats the story of the S-Class, when Vietnam was the first country outside of Germany to successfully assemble Mercedes cars.

The GLC has a wheelbase of up to 2,873 mm, the largest in the segment, 120 mm longer and 50 mm wider than the GLK model, respectively.Compared to its direct competitor, the BMW X3, the GLC has the same length, while the wheelbase is 60 mm longer and the width is 9 mm wider.This increase in size translates into interior space, with the rear seats increasing by 57 mm, while legroom alone increases by 36 mm..

The GLC is the first car in its segment to be equipped with the 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission. The loss of traction between gears is virtually eliminated with 9 different gears and makes the gear shifting process smoother, making it unnoticeable to the user.

The GLC has an interior with a monolithic dashboard that gradually slopes downwards.

One of the reasons why the previous GLK model won the hearts of customers was its ability to move on multiple terrains. The new model also continues to promote this strength of the GLK with 4Matic drive system, ground clearance reaching nearly 230 mm and large approach and departure angles.In particular, the GLC supports a professional off-road package (Off-Road Engineering Package) with DSR downhill support function and 4 operating modes.

"Praise the groom for his good clothes", that was the comment about the GLC from a sales staff of a Japanese car company after seeing the car.

However, according to him, with the sales level of about 200 cars per month nationwide that the German car company expects, perhaps that is also the expectation of Mercedes returning to the throne of the luxury SUV segment in Vietnam.

According to VNE