Although the all new GLK small SUV isn’t scheduled to hit dealers until October 2008 (January 2009 for the U.S.), the opportunity for a vehicle to be showcased in a scene of the summer’s hottest film, Sex and the City, was too good to pass up. It was however, quite challenging to secure an early release from the prototype vault at the Stuttgart factory.

Having not made its debut prior to the shoot on Rodeo Drive, the vehicle had to travel to the US in a cloak of secrecy. Accompanied by a designated Mercedes-Benz representative from Germany, there were many steps taken to protect the visual identity of the beautiful prototype from the outside world. Even the key which opened a tamper-proof container holding the car was locked away in a safe place and only accessible by one security personnel!

The GLK arrived in Long Beach California just days before shooting and was transported to Beverly Hills and kept secret until the cast and crew were ready for the scene. Given that the car had to sit on a public street, security had their hands full keeping the car under wraps until the scene was ready.

Excerpt from Kim Cattrall interview at the Laureus World Sports Award 2008


Interview transcripted from original TV recording, incomprehensible interview questions and passages were cut

I = Interviewer
C = Kim Cattrall

I: Kim, I heard that in the new 'Sex and the City' movie there's gonna be a Mercedes involved which nobody saw yet.
C: Yes, when we were filming with my co-star - it was the GLK Mercedes SUV - there were so many photographers in Beverly Hills and there have been very many photographers in New York. When we were filming.I thought, there's all these photographers, I felt so proud and happy, but they weren't interested in me, they were interested in the new Mercedes GLK. They were all trying to photograph the dashboard, which was completely new, so they would have the first photograph - so I was upstaged by the Mercedes car (laughing).
I: By the car! (laughs)
C: Exactly, a newer model, I guess (laughing).
I: Do you drive a Mercedes in your private life?
C: I just ordered an SL. I've had a romantic love affair with a Mercedes for a very long time, especially when I was a struggling actress - but now I am so happy that I am successful enough to own one myself.
I: And why is it the Mercedes - that you like so much, is it because of the style, or is it the technical details?
C: You know, I think that the Mercedes is made by very, very smart, passionate people. I've been playing this very passionate character for a very long time - I think it goes very well hand in hand, with me as a person and with me as an actor. I also very much like something that has that steel around me, I feel very, very safe in it and I live in New York where we have a lot of weather conditions. It's not like sunny California. So it put a lot of demands on the car that you drive, I feel very happy and safe.