GLK fades from view

'No news' is not good news, where the Mercedes-Benz GLK is concerned. The compact prestige SUV was being sought for the local market by the importer, but the factory has not come to the party.

At this stage, according to David McCarthy, Senior Manager Corporate Communications at Mercedes-Benz Australia, there's been no word on the right-hand-drive GLK going into production. If the factory had announced such a plan, Australia would have been one of the first RHD markets -- if not the first -- to be offered the product.

As it stands, without confirmation that the RHD GLK will go into production, the car is looking a lot less likely for the Australian market.

"It's not absolutely dead, but at this point, I wouldn't be putting money on it," says McCarthy of the prospects for the GLK reaching Australia.

"It's still flailing about a bit," he says, "it's not dead in the water yet."

"We haven't received final confirmation yet, 'yes' or 'no'... [But] in the absence of an answer either way, I'd have to say it's probably not looking that positive.

"It was definitely a '50/50' [chance] previously, I'd say it's probably declined into the forties... perhaps even lower.

"If we were going to start right-hand drive production of a rear-drive GLK next year, one, [Mercedes-Benz Australia would] know about it and two, we would be selling it," said McCarthy of a report published elsewhere that right-hand drive GLK production would commence early next year. With the Australian market potentially the largest for RHD GLK production, the local distribution network would be a key stakeholder in the decision to go ahead with production of the GLK in that form.

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