Mercedes has used the social media to announce it
will launch its GLB Concept to the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, which kicks off in
mid-April. The announcement is accompanied by a teaser image, which provides a
glimpse inside the show car, revealing an almost production-ready interior with
the MBUX dual-screen setup as the dominating feature.
Elsewhere, there are three air vents in the middle
of the dashboard, climate control settings right underneath and a large stowage
space further down, just like in the scooped prototypes. The study also gets a
three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, electrically adjustable front seats
with memory function and other equipment that will be detailed in due course.
Slotting between the GLA and GLC, the GLB is a
rather boxy-looking premium subcompact SUV, just like the discontinued GLK.
It’s expected to use a variety of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines,
coming from the rest of the brand’s compact models, and will also receive two
AMG versions, the GLB 35 and GLB 45, with more than 300 and 400 horsepower,
respectively.
A plug-in hybrid variant, as well as a
fully-electric model, probably under the EQB nameplate, are believed to be
introduced later on. Mercedes could unveil the production GLB as early as this September,
during the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, before launching it in selected markets
in the first quarter of 2020 as a rival to the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Jaguar
E-Pace.
