First China-made Mercedes-Benz GLK rolls off the production line

Following an agreement between Daimler and Chinese joint venture partner BAIC signed in June 2011 to further expand their collaboration in China with additional projects, Mercedes-Benz announced on Monday that the first Chinese-produced GLK SUV left the production line at the Beijing plant of Beijing Benz Automotive Co. (BBAC).

The GLK is Mercedes-Benz's third locally produced model in China after the long-wheel-base E-Class and new C-Class sedans. The German carmaker said that it plans to build two-thirds of all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars sold in China as early as 2015.

"Nothing represents our long-term commitment to China more tangibly than the production of vehicles in China itself: The localized production of further Mercedes-Benz models is an important element of our growth strategy for the Chinese market," said Ulrich Walker, Chairman & CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia.

The Stuttgart-based luxury carmaker has sold 168,940 vehicles in China (including Hong Kong) from January through November 2011, which represents an increase of 29.9 per cent over the same period in 2010. By 2015, the German company aims to sell more than 300,000 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in China.