The all-new electric Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV. Credit: Mercedes-Benz
- The all-new electric GLC SUV is the first model built on the MB.EA all-electric architecture, with a CLTC range of up to 703 km.
- The vehicle will compete with the BMW iX3, Tesla Model Y and Xiaomi YU7 in China’s luxury electric SUV market.
Mercedes-Benz Group AG on Wednesday launched the all-new electric GLC SUV in the Chinese market, a key product in its bid to revive sales in the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market.
The all-new electric GLC SUV is Mercedes-Benz’s first model built on the MB.EA (Mercedes-Benz Electric Architecture) all-electric platform, and comes in three versions.
The five-seat Liujin edition officially went on sale with a starting price of 338,000 yuan ($49,700). The five-seat Huiyin edition and the six-seat Xingbo edition opened for pre-sale, with pre-sales prices starting at 299,900 yuan and 388,800 yuan, respectively.
The all-new electric GLC is built on an 800-volt high-voltage architecture and is fitted with an 85.5-kilowatt-hour ternary lithium battery supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750).
It offers a CLTC all-electric range of up to 703 kilometers, and charging from 10% to 80% takes just 22 minutes.
The vehicle features a dual-motor front-and-rear all-wheel-drive system with a combined maximum output of 310 kilowatts (416 hp) and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.9 seconds.
In terms of exterior design, the biggest highlight is a retro shield-shaped illuminated grille, which contains 942 backlit units that can create a sequential lighting effect.
Inside, the car offers a 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, the largest in-car display Mercedes-Benz currently offers.
To cater to Chinese consumer preferences, Mercedes-Benz made extensive localization adjustments to the vehicle.
The new car is equipped with an intelligent assisted-driving system supplied by Chinese autonomous-driving company Momenta (HKEX: 6880), supporting full-scenario navigation assistance for both urban and highway settings.
Momenta made its debut on the Hong Kong stock market today, and Mercedes-Benz is among its investors.
The in-car virtual assistant, meanwhile, has been adapted to work with Doubao, the AI large language model owned by ByteDance, and supports dialects including Cantonese.
To suit Chinese road conditions and driving habits, the new car has a lengthened wheelbase, longer and thicker rear seat cushions, and offers a six-seat layout as an option for the first time.
Its wheelbase reaches 3,027 millimeters, 55 millimeters longer than the standard-wheelbase model, and its length also exceeds that of the current long-wheelbase gasoline-powered GLC.
The launch comes as the German luxury brand faces serious challenges in China’s EV market.
In addition to traditional rivals such as the BMW iX3 and Audi Q6L e-tron, models including the Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y, Xiaomi (HKEX: 1810) YU7 and Li Auto’s (NASDAQ: LI) Li i8 are also drawing away large numbers of customers.
These models hold an advantage in terms of market ownership, localized features and user reputation.
Mercedes becomes the first auto brand to apply a multimodal AI model in its rear-seat entertainment system.
($1 = 6.8006 yuan)
