Mercedes-Benz ’s new GLK-Class small SUV hasn’t quite met sales expectations the automaker had envisioned, so the company’s U.S. importer says that it will re-price options and begin importing lower-content models in an attempt to capture sales lost because of the GLK’s premium pricing.
“We planned production in June and July of last year, and we didn’t know where we would be in January,” Ernst Leib, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, told Automotive News. “We had models coming at $40,000-plus.”
Dealership stocks were heavily focused on well-equipped models, not those with sticker prices closer to the entry-level figures used in ads.
Like most automakers, Mercedes-Benz has gotten away from a la carte options, instead offering packages that lumped commonly-ordered features together, sometimes at a discount. Option packages allow for easier ordering and dealer trading, but they also make for more expensive vehicles should buyers only want one or two features included in a pricey package. To rectify this, Mercedes says it will offer the moonroof, formerly only available as part of a $3,150 option package, as a stand-alone $1,450 option, and the navigation system, previously part of a $3,350 package, for $1,800.
Mercedes will offer those who purchased a GLK in February or March a $2,000 refund if their vehicle was equipped with either package.
