Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Previously produced at the Bremen plant in Germany, the U.S. market Mercedes-Benz GLC is switching factories starting. The three-pointed star has already notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the change, with the compact luxury crossover now coming from Pune, India.
First things first, here’s a question for you. Why would Mercedes-Benz do such a thing considering that the cost of shipping the GLC-Class from Germany is lower? The answer is labor, which is far cheaper in the second-most populous country in the world compared to the largest national economy in Europe.
When all is said and done, the overall costs of manufacturing and shipping to the United States of America favor the Republic of India. On the flip side, don’t expect the suggested retail price to go down. The GLC-Class starts at $40,700 for the 300, with 4Matic adding $2,000 to the price. At the other end of the spectrum, the 503-horsepower Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 4Matic comes in at $69,900.
At the present moment, the GLC is the highest-selling luxury crossover in the compact segment in the U.S., as well as the best-selling Mercedes-Benz in the lineup. The three-pointed star sold 4,926 unit in August 2018 and 48,643 throughout 2017, numbers that speak for themselves considering how much profit Mercedes-Benz makes on each and every single example of the breed.
The German automaker isn’t alone in this game, with Ford having tapped India for the EcoSport. The subcompact crossover available at dealers nationwide comes from the Chennai assembly plant, the burgeoning capital of Tamil Nadu, located right next to the Bay of Bengal.
On an ending note, how would the import scene look like today if the trade war with China never happened? On the other hand, let’s not forget the U.S. trade deficit with the People’s Republic of China, along with the Asian country’s passion for stealing intellectual property of American origin.
When all is said and done, the overall costs of manufacturing and shipping to the United States of America favor the Republic of India. On the flip side, don’t expect the suggested retail price to go down. The GLC-Class starts at $40,700 for the 300, with 4Matic adding $2,000 to the price. At the other end of the spectrum, the 503-horsepower Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 4Matic comes in at $69,900.
At the present moment, the GLC is the highest-selling luxury crossover in the compact segment in the U.S., as well as the best-selling Mercedes-Benz in the lineup. The three-pointed star sold 4,926 unit in August 2018 and 48,643 throughout 2017, numbers that speak for themselves considering how much profit Mercedes-Benz makes on each and every single example of the breed.
The German automaker isn’t alone in this game, with Ford having tapped India for the EcoSport. The subcompact crossover available at dealers nationwide comes from the Chennai assembly plant, the burgeoning capital of Tamil Nadu, located right next to the Bay of Bengal.
On an ending note, how would the import scene look like today if the trade war with China never happened? On the other hand, let’s not forget the U.S. trade deficit with the People’s Republic of China, along with the Asian country’s passion for stealing intellectual property of American origin.
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