Mercedes Benz India begins CKD assembly of GL-Class SUV

Mercedes Benz India has commenced assembly of the GL 350 CDI luxury SUV through the CKD (completely knocked down) kit route. The only other location where the GL-Class SUV is built, is at Mercedes Benz's mother plant in the United States, at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Therefore, Mercedes Benz India's Chakan assembly unit, off Pune, is only the second location at which the GL-Class luxury SUV is built. 

CKD assembly of the GL-Class has resulted in a price difference of about 5 lakh rupees, given the fact that the first 100 units of the SUV were imported into India through the completely built unit (CBU) route. Launched as the "Launch Edition" models, the first 100 units of the GL-Class SUV were priced at 77.50 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. The "Launch Edition" models featured an AMG body and interiors kit, stuff that isn't available on locally assembled model.

The CKD assembled GL-Class is priced at 72.58 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Pune, and considering the absence of the AMG kit, the price difference between the CBU import and CKD assembled models of the GL-Class is quite minimal. The narrow difference between CKD and CBU prices may be attributed to the depreciating Indian rupee. Mercedes Benz's Chakan facility has now been expanded for the assembly of 20,000 units/year, which is double the previous assembly capacity of 10,000 units/year.

The GL-Class SUV is the fifth model to be assembled at Chakan, with the other four being the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class and the ML-Class models. Mercedes Benz also plans to CKD assemble the A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks from early 2014. The GL-Class is powered by a 3 liter-V6 turbo diesel engine that churns out 258 Bhp of peak power and 620 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a 7 speed automatic gearbox that drives all four wheels of the SUV.

The GL 350 CDI SUV is capable of accommodating 7 adults and comes with a host of safety features and creature comforts. Cross wind stabilization, panoramic sun roof for all three rows and an active park assist system are a few noteworthy features on the GL-Class SUV. The SUV competes with the likes of the Audi Q7 and the BMW X5 models. In its second generation, the 2013 GL 350 CDI SUV comes with larger dimensions when compared with those of its predecessor.