Mercedes-Benz may be bringing back the R-Class, at least in some markets.An executive for the German automaker said it might offer more alternatives to standard SUVs, amid robust global demand in the segment, and the R-Class could fit the bill, caradvice.com reported.
The R-Class, officially known as a "sport tourer," has the elements of an SUV, sedan and luxury wagon. Built at Mercedes' Tuscaloosa County plant, it was launched in 2005, but it never really caught on with consumers.
Three years ago, the company announced it was ending U.S. sales of the R-Class, and today, it also has also been discontinued in all international markets except China. The Alabama plant is currently transferring production of it to a contract manufacturer in Indiana to free up production space for other models in Tuscaloosa County.
But Wolf-Dieter Kurz, Mercedes' vice president of product group SUVs and sports cars, suggested an R-Class comeback could be in the works, according to remarks made during the European launch of the GLE and GLE Coupe.
He also said the R-Class might have been ahead of its time.
"Basically I think I feel that the SUV segment – due to its growth, and the worldwide interest that the SUVs have – the SUV segment will be also in future the one which sees most derivatives, let's say, in the outskirts of the portfolio. Because it's getting kind of fussy in it's outskirts, let's say," he told caradvice.com
"There was already one that we had in the portfolio – maybe we were too early – which was the R-Class, which we are still selling in China. It's doing good, with 12,000 to 14,000 units per year," he continued.
In a separate interview with Automotive News, Kurz said Mercedes is not interested in bringing the R-Class back to the U.S., where buyers associated it with a station wagon.
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