Mercedes shows low-lying GLC coupe in Shanghai

As predictable as chips following fish, Mercedes has revealed its GLC Coupe, a fast-back version of its upcoming GLC, a rival for the likes of the BMW X4 and Range Rover Evoque.

The GLC is the replacement for the current, boxy, GLK – a car that has never been sold in right-hand-drive, but the new GLC (a foil to the BMW X3 and Audi Q5) will be a properly global model, available in all markets.

Both GLC and GLC Coupe will become the focal point for all of Mercedes' future SUV plans, with head of design at Mercedes, Gordon Wagener, saying that "with its modern and sensual design idiom, the Concept GLC Coupé gives a foretaste of future SUV models from Mercedes-Benz. At the same time, it embraces the typical values of tradition-steeped Mercedes-Benz coupés."

Underneath, the GLC Coupe shares much with the current C-Class, but it will be quite a bit bigger than its closest comparable rival, the BMW X4. The car on show in Shanghai gets a new 3.0-lite turbo V6 petrol engine but back here in the west, we'll see the usual lineup of 2.1-litre diesel variants and some hard-charging AMG petrol versions. The engine drives all four wheels, natch, and uses Merc's new nine-speed 9G-Tronic gearbox.

It’s part of Mercedes’s plan to dramatically increase the number of SUV models that it makes. Alongside the existing GLA and GLE (neé M-Class) we’ll soon have GLC, GLC Coupe, GLE Coupe and GLS (which hitherto has been the GL-Class), plus the evergreen G-Wagen which itself is due for a major update in a couple of years’ time.

However, is this new model proliferation actually damaging the premium car makers' reliability reputation? With German brand languishing far, far behind their Japanese rivals in a recent survey by What Car and Warranty Direct, it seems that the pressure on engineering resources from developing these myriad niche models is playing merry hell with build quality. "Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, the top three premium OEMs, want to be the front-runners in providing state of the art innovations" Frost & Sullivan analyst Kamalesh Mohanarangam told The Irish Times. "All three car makers offer more and more innovative features in their vehicles, especially with electronic interfaces or controls to improve safety, convenience and driving dynamics. The system manufacturers generally push the limits of technology to provide an innovative offering, which tends be more complex and may require a span of its life cycle attain sufficient maturity."