Auto Special: Mercedes-Benz launches All New GLE Sport SUV

The latest launch of the GLE Sport SUV on Wednesday in Chengdu once again testified to the strength of the strong product offensive of Mercedes-Benz this year, which has taken the China market by storm.

The German automaker introduced the Mercedes-Benz GLE 320 4MATIC Sport SUV, GLE 400 4MATIC Sport SUV, GLE 450 AMG 4MATIC Sport SUV, and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 4MATIC Sport SUV, which are priced at at 868,000 yuan ($136,570), 968,000 yuan, 1,058,000 yuan and 1,928,000 yuan, respectively.

As the first models introduced by Mercedes-Benz in China under its new nomenclature, the GLE Sport SUV blends the stylish design of a coupe with the sportiness of an SUV, thereby combining a coupe's dynamic performance with an SUV's versatile ability to handle complex road conditions.

"With the All New GLE Sport SUV, Mercedes-Benz fuses two of its strongest families - the coupe family and the SUV family - each with its own distinct style," said Nicholas Speeks, president and CEO, Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service.

"We are continuing to offer our customers more diversified choices and creating a bridge between standard Mercedes-Benz products and the high-performance models of Mercedes-AMG," he added.

"Now with the AMG models, even more people can experience the driving performance impelled by our brand promise and the typical characteristics of AMG automobiles."

The Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG 4MATIC Sport SUV is the first representative of a new Mercedes-AMG product line launched in China, the AMG Sport model, which brings the excitement of motorsport to day-to-day driving for a wider range of customers.

As a member of the AMG family, the peerless Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 4MATIC Sport SUV features AMG's renowned prowess in pursuit of ultimate driving performance.

The China Modern Pentathlon Event Center in Chengdu, a city in Southwestern China traditionally known for its pandas and cuisine that has witnessed a regional boom in the past several years, set a striking scene for the launch, which was attended by 800 guests hailing from the fashion, entertainment and media industries.

Music producer Zhang Yadong and singer Pu Shu partnered up for the first time in a decade for a special concert honoring the GLE Sport SUV, setting fire to an already explosive atmosphere.

As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz remains committed to leading the automotive industry in terms of design trends and technological progress.

"This model series is the tip of the spear in Mercedes-Benz's ongoing product offensive, enhancing our product line and opening up the spectrum of choices for our loyal customers," said Duan Jianjun, executive vice-president at BMBS, which is responsible for sales and marketing.

Upholding Mercedes-Benz's "sensual purity" design concept, the All New GLE Sport SUV seamlessly merges coupe and SUV design elements, featuring unique proportions and flowing side lines which perfectly connect a powerful SUV-like front end with elegant rear lines reminiscent of a sports car.

It also features the high quality interior design elements that typify Mercedes-Benz, with large swathes of the interior covered in premium European leather and inlaid with intricate double stitching.

Furthermore, a slew of user-friendly high-tech intelligent appointments are everywhere in the car. For instance, the latest generation COMAND Online contains an ultra-large 8-inch TFT display and a handwriting touchpad, providing customers with intuitive, easy operations and convenient, comprehensive infotainment functions.

"Its striking interior and exterior design, augmented with a superior dynamic control system and surging power, deliver the driving experience of a sports car," noted by Duan.

In terms of power, each GLE Sport SUV is equipped with a powerful 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine, which comes with China's first 9-speed automatic transmission, 9G-TRONIC, developed and manufactured entirely by Mercedes-Benz in China.

The gearbox is able to achieve smoother and quicker shifting while simultaneously maintaining high stability and reducing fuel consumption.

In addition to the car's powerful driving force, a series of high-tech driving assistance systems, such as an adaptive damping system (ADS Plus), ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM with roll stabilization, and multiple driving modes, contribute to the new GLE Sport SUV's athletic abilities.

The Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World showcased the style and power of the GLE 450 AMG 4MATIC Sport SUV, which boasts higher performance with its AMG genes.

Characterized by a large number of dynamic performance components developed by AMG, the car is immediately eye-catching, as the special AMG body styling includes specific front and rear aprons, a spoiler lip in the color of the vehicle and 21-inch AMG alloy wheels.

The car also comes with the AIRMATIC package including an air suspension, infinitely variable adaptive damping system (ADS Plus) and automatic level control.

In SPORT+ mode, the body is lowered automatically to increase stability especially at high speeds, which guarantees the inimitable AMG driving feel both on and of-road.

Also launched at the event was the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 Sport SUV that comes from a 5.5-liter V8 twin-turbo engine built under the AMG philosophy of "One Man, One Engine", which is capable of taking the model from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds.

Furthermore, with a combined fuel consumption of 11.9 l/100 km, this model showcases Mercedes-AMG's dedication to achieving Ultimate Driving Performance, which is defined both by power and fuel efficiency.

"The AMG Sport also offers an exclusive and up-graded feature line-up and some sensually lovely styling touches that together with the proportions and broad shoulders lend the car a sense of power and dynamism - the power and dynamism needed to escape a dinosaur on the hunt," said Speeks.

The All New GLE Sport SUV is another pioneering move from Mercedes-Benz, and with its advent the company is seeking to redefine the standard within its market segment and allow more Chinese consumers to enjoy the extraordinary charm of Mercedes-Benz sport SUVs.

(China Daily 09/04/2015 page15)