Why the new Mercedes-Benz GLC range is so tiny

The Mercedes-Benz GLC is arriving in Australia in a single specification, and the company says this is by design.

While the mid-sized SUV line-up will be bolstered by a GLC Coupe in the fourth quarter of this year as well as forthcoming AMG models, for now there’s a single GLC 300 4Matic variant.

Arriving in June, the GLC300 4Matic is priced at $104,900 before on-road costs. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 190kW of power and 400Nm of torque.

Rivals from Audi, BMW and the like, however, offer multiple different powertrains including petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options.

MORE: 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC price and specs

When asked whether sales volumes are expected to decline, a Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson said, “We’ll have to wait and see.”

“But we know what people order, have ordered, and GLC being one of our number one selling cars since it launched… We’ve learned a lot from that customer base and we know what they want, they know what they want,” he explained.

“We’ll give them the option of one option, and they can choose the colour.

“Offering an entry model doesn’t always mean that there’s a market for it.”

The company has also ruled out any of the new GLC’s plug-in hybrid options for Australia, as part of a shift away from this technology locally except for its upcoming high-performance models.

The GLC range has been significantly pared back compared with the previous-generation model, which in non-AMG guise offered a choice of three different powertrains including a plug-in hybrid.

It also came with a significantly lower base price: $80,800 before on-road costs.

When asked whether this pared-back approach could be employed for other Mercedes-Benz products, the spokesperson said “we look at every model in isolation” and cited the GLC’s passenger car counterpart, the C-Class, which is available in two Mercedes-Benz-badged variants.

With 4325 wagon sales and 1531 Coupe sales last year, the GLC range was the best-selling vehicle in its segment in 2022.

All up, Mercedes-Benz sold 5856 GLC-badged models in 2022, more than the combined tally for the BMW X3 and X4 (5437 sales) and Audi Q5 and Q5 Sportback (3210 sales).

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