JEDDAH, 3 September 2006 — Mercedes Benz launched their heavyweight contender in Saudi Arabia’s SUV market yesterday. The new seven-seat GL-Class four-wheel-drive vehicle is expected to offer competition to the large car market in the Kingdom.
It is the first full-size Mercedes seven-seater and is aimed at challenging the domination of the large US and Japanese models in the luxury end of the SUV market.
Chris Vallance, regional sales manager for Mercedes, said that although the GL-Class was a “luxurious” car with active and passive safety features, it was still “through and through a Mercedes” and also had a genuine off-road capability. “We designated this all new model the GL class to echo the legendary precursor of all Mercedes off road vehicles, the G class which has just celebrated its 27th year of production,” he said.
The GL lacks the boxy styling and body-on-frame construction of the G class and favors a modified version of the M Class’ “unibody architecture”. It is a 3-row, 7-passenger crossover SUV with much more luxurious equipment than previous civilian G-Class vehicles.
The Middle East market represents sales of 100,000 vehicles plus per year to Mercedes. The large luggage and seating capacity of the GL is aimed at the family market and supported said Vallance, by the proven popularity of the Mercedes marque in the region.
Already offering the broadest and most diverse portfolio of models in the automotive industry, Mercedes launched the new model at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit this year. The GL will be produced at Daimler Chrysler’s Alabama plant, alongside the M Class and the R Class.
Two models will be available in the Kingdom — the GL450 with a 4.8-liter V8 and the GL500 with a 5.5-liter 390 horsepower V8. The former has a starting price of about $78,300 (SR293,625) and the latter an entry price of $85,100 (SR319,125).
Brimming with passive and active safety features, the new models have addressed the need for safe driving and passenger protection comprehensively. The lightweight steel body has been designed on a unitized (cellular) basis, which results in a high level of passive safety.
Front and rear deformation zones shield the passenger cell and form a solid base for the PRE-SAFE(r) comprehensive safety system, a world first in this market segment. Vallance said that the GL could handle “the most extreme off road terrain.” The standard off-road package he said included a two-speed transfer case, a low range ratio and 100 percent differential locks for the transfer case and axle.
All GL class engine variants come with a seven speed automatic transmission. Even with the large engine capacities, fuel consumption is optimized through the balance of the gearbox and ‘friction optimized’ power train. “With performance both on and off road, space for the family and superior fuel economy,” Vallance concluded, “the new GL class will be a segment leader in the Kingdom.”
