Mercedes-Benz India recently listed the GLS on the brand’s official website indicating that the latest model of the large SUV will soon be coming to our country. The brand also launched the new GLC Coupe and the 4th generation GLE in India. The only SUV now missing from the brand’s SUV product portfolio is the Mercedes-Benz GLB and according to a media report, the Mercedes-Benz GLB may not come to the Indian market anytime soon.
Reports suggest that the GLB does not have CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits and bringing the SUV via the CBU (Completely Built-Up Unit) route is not likely to be viable in terms of end-user costs. These factors coupled with the recent CoronaVirus outbreak which has driven the automotive industry to an all-time low, demanding careful steps to be taken in terms of future investments, the brand is not likely to bring the GLB to the Indian market.
In the global market, the Mercedes-Benz GLB is popular for its boxy upright styling and the GLB features an upright chrome-accented grille, 3D inserts on the headlamps, twin LED daytime running lights, multilayered front apron with silver-finished skid plate, raised ridges on the bonnet, squared-off wheel arches, chrome window surrounds, roof rails, blacked-out pillars, door claddings, large alloy wheels, integrated roof spoiler, a diffuser style bumper, twin exhaust outlets and wraparound LED tail lamps.
On the inside, the new GLB come with a multilayered dashboard with twin-screen displays, one for the driver’s instrumentation and another for the infotainment, rounded air-conditioning vents finished in satin silver, control mounted steering wheel, automatic climate control, ambient lighting etc.
The GLB is based on the Mercedes-Benz – MFA II (Modular Front Architecture) platform and measures 4,634mm in length, 1,834mm in width and 1,658mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2,829mm. Globally the SUV is powered by 2 petrol engine options that include a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine and another 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine along with a 2.0-litre diesel engine option.