The Mercedes-Benz GLK (code name X204) is a compact luxury crossover released as a 2009 model elsewhere[citation needed] and as a 2010 model in North America[citation needed] after its public debut at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show alongside the competing Audi Q5.
The GLK-Class was launched in 2008 and is built in Bremen (Germany), the first Mercedes SUV to be built there. Its design is heavily influenced by the C-Class.
On 2008-01-12, actress Kim Cattrall at a special unveiling ceremony at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, confirming that her Sex and the City character (Samantha Jones) would drive the SUV in the movie version of the popular TV show.[1][2]
The GLK was presented for the first time in 2008 in Detroit under the form of the Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Freeside concept.[3]
[4]MBUSA partnered with four tuners to develop custom designs for the newly released GLK for the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Boulevard Customs[3], Brabus[4], RENNtech[5], Leegendary Motorcar Company[6] were the four tuners that had this unique opportunity to design their vision.
The GLK-Class shares the C-Class (W204) platform, and production plans continued after the demise of the similar Smart Formore.
Safety
Comprehensive restraint system for the best possible occupant protection.[5]
In combination with the front and rear deformation zones, the high-strength passenger cell of the GLK-Class provides a highly efficient foundation for the occupant protection systems. The intricate restraint system is capable of offering the greatest possible protection potential. As many as nine airbags are fitted, which are deployed selectively depending on the type of collision and its severity to reduce the forces exerted on the occupants eMercedesBenz said - The all-encompassing approach taken to achieving a high standard of safety evinces itself particularly clearly in the Integral Safety concept, that Mercedes-Benz has once again implemented in the new GLK.
