Recently, the Mercedes-Benz GLC plug-in hybrid version of the 350 eL was unveiled in the latest batch of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology declaration catalog, it is worth noting that the new car uses BYD's lithium iron phosphate battery pack.
The 2,420kg hybrid is 4.8 cm wider and 1.8 cm taller than the petrol version and is equipped with the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.
The new model will use a plug-in hybrid system consisting of a 2.0-liter engine and an electric motor, with a maximum engine power of 150kW, which is more powerful than the conventional model and will have lower fuel consumption.
Previously, the plug-in hybrid version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was more expensive than the gasoline version by more than 90,000 yuan. So, the price of the fuel version of Mercedes-Benz GLC starts at 427,800, and whether the plug-in hybrid version starts at 500,000?
The reason why Mercedes-Benz wants to launch a plug-in hybrid version of GLC is more likely to realize "others have it, I also have it". Sales should be the same as the Mercedes-Benz E-class plug-in hybrid version, which will not make too many waves.
In fact, BYD and Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler have been cooperating since 2010, and the two sides jointly funded the establishment of Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd., each holding 50% of the shares.
Since then, at the end of 2021, BYD and Daimler have 90% and 10% of the shares of Denza, respectively.
Mercedes-Benz debuted the CLA concept at the Munich Motor Show last September, with production plans to launch a production model this year.
Mercedes-Benz officials said that the car has a range of up to 750 kilometers and is expected to be equipped with BYD's lithium iron phosphate (LFP) blade battery.
Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the board of directors of Mercedes-Benz, has said that a large part of the cost of electric vehicles is determined by battery raw materials and related technologies.
Choosing the right battery supplier is crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of the product, and BYD's battery technology has shown clear advantages in terms of price-performance ratio and performance.
Mercedes-Benz GLC is Mercedes-Benz's main sales product in China. In recent times, Mercedes-Benz has continued to make profits in the market, and the current Mercedes-Benz GLC has dropped by 75,000 in many regions.
In April, BBA, a traditional luxury brand, suffered a collective "Waterloo". The Mercedes-Benz GLC, which sold 19,000 units in March, sold only 7,511 units in April, a drop of more than 60%.
Mercedes-Benz GLC is currently a hot-selling model in the domestic market, and its monthly retail sales in the domestic auto market are stable at 10,000 units.
The reason why the sales of Mercedes-Benz GLC fell so seriously in April may also be most directly related to the continuous rise of domestic new energy models.
In the era of fuel vehicles, Mercedes-Benz GLC mainly faces competition from BMW X3 and Audi Q5L in the market segment. Competing with these models, the Mercedes-Benz GLC is "not at all scared".
However, in today's Chinese auto market, Mercedes-Benz GLC not only faces competition from BMW X3 and Audi Q5L, but also from new energy vehicles.
On May 11, Hongmeng Zhixing officially released a poster, and the cumulative number of Dading exceeded 80,000 units in the 136 days of the launch of the M9, setting a new sales record for domestic luxury cars.
A car blogger posted that under the strong offensive of M9, BMW X5 has no orders in most parts of the country, in fact, it is not only BMW that is affected.
A few more words
Traditional luxury cars still have a lot of sales, but it must also be admitted that because the debut of the M9 has indeed stolen a part of the user group from the 500,000-level joint venture car market.
At present, the leading brands in the 500,000-level market are still traditional luxury brands, but China's electric and intelligent path has been formed, and consumption transfer has gradually taken shape, and BBA is no longer the only choice.