Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Two of the greatest future rivals, the Mercedes GLK and the Audi Q5 will make their world debut this week-end at the Beijing Auto Show.
Audi will unveil its Q5 SUV in Beijing because it sees China as a key growth market. Last year, China became Audi’s second-biggest market after Germany as sales grew 24.8 percent to 101,996 units.
Like Audi, Mercedes wants to take advantage of the growing popularity of SUVs in China. After showing concepts for its new GLK class at the Geneva and Detroit auto shows this year, Mercedes will unveil the production version in Beijing.
Audi parent Volkswagen group will debut two models developed for the local market by its joint ventures in China. One will be a family-sized sedan code-named the Model X, based on the Jetta/Bora. The other will be a more upscale sedan called the Lavida that eventually will replace the Santana. Both cars are based on the fourth-generation Golf platform and will go into production in the summer.
Here are the most important news of the week:
.
Mercedes will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show the Vision GLK BLUETEC HYBRID, a study that illustrates the possibilities of the "TrueBlueSolutions" strategy in the compact SUV segment.
With its TrueBlueSolutions strategy, Mercedes-Benz is preparing the way for the introduction of the world’s most economical and clean vehicles. As in the case of the VISION GLK BLUETEC HYBRID, ultra-modern and efficient diesel engines with innovative BLUETEC emissions control, hybrid modules and intelligent energy management are among the centrepieces of this trailblazing generation of drive systems.
The study for this compact characterful SUV has a combined output of 165 kW/224 hp and generates a combined torque of 560 newton metres, the world’s highest in this class. This enables the VISION GLK BLUETEC HYBRID to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds; its maximum speed is 215 km/h. Despite these performance figures, this multi-talented newcomer consumes an average of only 5.9 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, and achieves the world’s lowest CO2 emissions in the SUV segment, with 157 grams per kilometre.
Press release after the jump.
Full story
Mercedes announced today, in an interview with Autotelegraaf that they will not bring an AMG version for the upcoming GLK. They said two SUV’s are sufficient enough to receive the AMG badging.
"There is no space for a third SUV" Volker Mornhinweg said. "We are now simply going to offer the AMG-program to sedans, convertible, roadsters and the two SUVs (ML, GL)."
The GLK was previewed at the Detroit Auto Show by the Vision GLK Concept that is powered by a new-generation diesel engine. The four-cylinder unit, with a 2.2-litre displacement, reflects the study vehicle’s dynamic basic concept and allows impressive performance figures with an output of 125 kW/170 hp, plus reduced consumption and reduced emissions.
