Mercedes-Benz Warns It Will Close a German Assembly Plant and Engine Factory Unless Costs Come Down
Sep 22, 2026The Spec'd take
Why it stands out
- Dual motors give 360 kW (489 hp) and 800 Nm with all-wheel drive, and Mercedes quotes 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds on the international model, which is quick for a family SUV
- A 94 kWh battery with DC charging of up to 330 kW, which Mercedes says takes 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes, and a claimed range of around 715 km on the WLTP cycle
- Local assembly at the Chakan plant near Pune, only six months after European sales began, makes it the fastest global Mercedes to be assembled in India
- A 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen spans the whole dashboard, and the international spec adds AIRMATIC air suspension and rear-axle steering of up to 4.5 degrees
- Its obvious rival, the BMW iX3 Long Wheelbase, is not due in India until 2027, so the GLC Electric should have a clear run for a while
Worth knowing
- There is no Indian price, equipment list or India range figure yet, so everything here is the international specification until the 4 November 2026 launch
- At 2,535 kg on the international model it is a heavy SUV, and the 715 km figure is a WLTP claim for that model, so treat it as a best case until the India figure is published
- Only the GLC 400 4MATIC has been confirmed for India, so there is no cheaper single-motor version to choose
- It is expected to be priced well above the Mercedes-Benz CLA Electric, which starts at Rs 56.5 lakh
