New Mercedes GL-Class to be shown at New York next month; Assembly in India next year

According to a news report on Car And Driver, Mercedes Benz is prepping the all-new GL-Class, a seven-seat SUV based on the extended ML-Class platform, for a global premiere at the New York Auto Show that kicks off on the 4th of April. The NY Auto Show is also the venue BMW uses to conduct the unveiling of the BMW X1 facelift and announce the model for the US market.

Undisguised spyshots on various automotive sites show the 2013 Mercedes GL-Class facelift having a two-bar grille and LED cluster in the headlight assembly. The front fascia looks like a mashup of the face of the GLK-Class (a smaller SUV based on the C-Class, not sold in India) and ML-Class.

There's no confirmation on the powertrains but rumor has it that a 3-liter V6 diesel sits under the new GL's bonnet producing 255hp alongside a 4.7-liter V8 petrol generating 402hp. The new generation GL-Class could finally plan a trip to Mercedes' tuning factory, AMG, where it will work out rigorously to build more muscle and strength. This is possible with a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine that develops 525 PS and 700 Nm.

Mercedes will hopefully begin teasing the new GL-Class in the next few days.

The new GL-Class will be assembled next year at Mercedes Benz India's Chakan CKD plant, one year from the start of manufacture of the ML-Class, which is around Diwali 2013. Mercedes Benz could sell imported units of the GL-Class months before assembly starts.

[Source - Blog.CarAndDriver.com]