PEKAN (Aug 23): Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd, which sees a pick-up in interest in the sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment, has launched its locally assembled premium SUV, the GLC 250 4MATIC.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia sales and marketing passenger cars vice president Mark Raine said the model has received overwhelming response from the public and has exceeded the CBU units' sales of 541 units, though he declined to specify the order quantum so far.

"We see demand in the SUV segment increasing," he said, adding he hopes the company could further grow its market share in the segment with the introduction of the locally assembled SUV today.

"We will remain competitive in catering to customer demand, especially in the SUV market," he told a media conference during the launch in Pekan.

Raine expects to deliver the first locally assembled GLC unit to its customer this month.

Earlier in January this year, the premium German car maker unveiled its luxury SUV range — GLC, GLE and GLE Coupe — in the completely built-up (CBU) form, and has achieved total sales of 700 units since then.

Raine said this has prompted the group to roll out the locally assembled model with a host of added features for the discerning Malaysian customer.

"The GLC 250 4MATIC is the first SUV in the country that is equipped with the 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive and 9G-TRONIC. This automatic transmission takes efficiency, comfort and dynamism to a new level," he shared.

The locally assembled GLC 250 4MATIC is tentatively priced at RM325,888 (on the road, without insurance). In comparison, the CBU unit's selling price starts from RM328,888.

The group has put in RM13 million in the production plant here to produce GLC vehicles to meet rising demand.

It also does not rule out the possibility of introducing more locally assembled units in the country.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia's Pekan plant sits on a 339,000 sq meter land in Pekan.

Aside from its GLC models, the plant also assembles the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class models.

According to Mercedes-Benz Malaysia president and chief executive officer Claus Weidner, the Pekan plant has three production lines and each line can produce up to 400 cars per month.

"The production line is run by batch production. We will switch the vehicle production based on order," he said.

Claus said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, a joint venture between Daimler AG and Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd, has invested a total of RM280 million in the plant to date. Annual vehicle production, meanwhile, has tripled to 7,710 units from 2,000 units in 2005.

Weidner is optimistic the group could exceed last year's sales and production figures, given the continued stronger demand from customers.

In the six months ended June 30, 2016, the car maker sold 6,017 cars, up 17% compared to the same period last year.