Mercedes-Benz India To Locally Manufacture AMG Models; Will Start With AMG GLC 43 Coupé

Mercedes-Benz India today announced that it will start local assembly of AMG models in India soon. AMG, which is Mercedes-Benz's performance sub-brand, currently offers a wide portfolio of performance limousines, performance SUVs, SUV coupés, and sports cars. As of now, all of them come to India as a completely built unit or CBU models. The company will kick-start local assembly of its performance-spec models with the AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé, and it will be launched in India next month.

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The Made in India Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe is slated to be launched in India in November 2020

Commenting on this announcement, Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, "The decision to locally produce AMG in India underlines Mercedes-Benz's clear roadmap for the Indian market and our long-term commitment to our Indian customers. We want AMG to be more accessible to the potential customers and play a bigger role in our overall portfolio we offer in India. This decision is an important milestone towards strengthening our AMG ambitions in India further."

Now, India did have the AMG GLC 43 Coupe up until a couple of years ago, and the older model came with a 362 bhp 3-litre V6 which was tuned by AMG to develop 520 Nm of torque. However, when Mercedes introduced the facelifted version in 2019, we never got it, and it's possible that the delay was because the company was planning local production of the SUV. The older pre-facelift, BS4 model was priced in India at around Rs. 75 lakh (ex-showroom), and given the current GST rates, the updated BS6 version of the SUV is claimed to have come with a price tag close to Rs. 1 crore mark. However, the completely knocked down (CKD) version of the Coupe SUV is likely to be priced around Rs. 80 lakh (ex-showroom).

The pre-facelift, BS4 compliant Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe was priced in India at around Rs. 75 lakh

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As for the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé, it will come with the latest version of the MBUX infotainment system, with AMG-specific functions and displays, introduces an innovative control concept. The coupe SUV is likely to be powered by a 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine tuned to make about 385 bhp and 520 Nm of peak torque. It can do a 0-100 kmph sprint in 4.9 seconds, before hitting the electronically limited top speed of 250 kmph.

Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe will come with the latest version of the MBUX infotainment system

Talking about the car he said, "The AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé is an important model in our portfolio having the distinction of being one of the highest-selling AMG models in India." He also added, "The addition of the stylish AMG GLC 43 Coupé will further cement our strong position in the performance SUV segment. We are confident, the launch of the locally produced AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé will drive in value and aspiration for our customers and help the dynamic SUV Coupé retain its top preference among the discerning AMG customers."

In 2019, the AMG brand saw a Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth of 54 per cent, and Mercedes-Benz India claims that 'Made in India AMG' will help cement the No.1 position for it in performance segment. The current AMG portfolio in India comprises the 43, 53, 63, and GT series of high-performance vehicles across different body shapes. Much recently, we witnessed the launch of the first-ever 53 series model with the AMG GLE 53 Coupe. Mercedes-Benz India currently manufactures 10 CKD models across segments.