First look: Mercedes reveals its newest Alabama-made SUV
By Dawn Kent Azok | dazok@al.com AL.com
Vance, AL
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The Alabama-built Mercedes-Benz GL-Class SUV has gotten a facelift and a new name.
The German automaker this week revealed the 2017 GLS, which is now rolling on the assembly lines at its Tuscaloosa County factory.
The full-size, seven-passenger SUV features a number of updates, including a redesigned front end and full LED taillights.
Inside, there's a new instrument panel and modified center console with touchpad.
And more power is under the hood.
The high performance AMG model, for example, is fueled by a 5.5-liter V-8 bi-turbo engine that delivers 577 horsepower, up 27 hp from its predecessor.
Mercedes will begin taking orders for the GLS in December, with the first U.S. customer deliveries in March 2016.
Pricing has not been announced yet, but starting prices for the 2015 GL-Class model line range from about $64,000 to $120,000.
Key competitors for the GLS are the Lexus GX460, Infiniti QX80 and the Cadillac Escalade.
Mercedes is renaming its SUVs to draw a closer correlation between them and the brand's similarly-sized sedans.
For instance, the "S" in GLS hints at the large S-Class sedan. Earlier this year, Mercedes updated and renamed another Alabama product, the M-Class SUV, as the GLE, in a nod to the midsize E-Class sedan.
Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis for the car shopping website, Edmunds.com, said she understands the reasoning behind the renaming strategy, but it could be frustrating for buyers.
"They're keeping it clean and corresponding to size, but on the flip side it's pretty confusing," she said.
People who have a certain model in mind might think it doesn't exist anymore.
"At the end of the day, people will figure it out, but it may require an extra step," Caldwell said. "I think where (Mercedes is) going is good, it's just hard in the interim."
SUV sales are surging in the U.S. right now, and the luxury versions are no exception.
Through September, year-to-date sales of luxury compact SUVs had risen 38 percent over 2014, Kelley Blue Book data shows. Sales of luxury full-size SUVs were up 11.4 percent, while the luxury midsize SUV segment showed 5.6 percent improvement over last year.
This year's GL-Class sales, through October, are up 9 percent over 2014.
Prior to the GLS, Mercedes' Alabama workers had already begun building two new SUVs this year: the GLE, which is the renamed M-Class, and the GLE Coupe, a coupe-style SUV in the GLE model line.
Those models, which recently hit dealer showrooms, have helped Mercedes register record sales.