Mercedes GLE 43 AMG Coupe imported to India

The SUV coupe concept is quite a thought provoking one. You have in essence an SUV platform, with its tall ride height, huge wheels and off-roading capability, merged with the sleek, curvy body of a sports coupe.

After BMW with its X6, Mercedes is trying to tread the same path with its GLE coupe series. With the AMG GLE 450 Coupe launched in January 2016, Mercedes has recently imported a single unit of the AMG GLE 43 coupe for what looks like homologation purposes.

The GLE 450 was launched in India as a quietened down version of the all bonkers AMG GLE 63 Coupe. The GLE 450 is powered by a 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6 motor which churns out 362 HP of power and 520 Nm of torque which comes mated to a 9-speed autobox and Mercedes’ signature 4MATIC 4WD system.

The GLE 43 AMG is a re-branded version of the GLE 450 Coupe currently sold in the Indian market. Mercedes has been re-branding all of its AMG models across the world with 43 and 63 numbers after their respective class names (C63, E63, CLS 63). This is being done to better separate the AMG cars from the normal ones.

Mercedes should release the re-badged versions soon, after which the GLE 43 AMG Coupe will act as the younger sibling of the GLE 63 AMG coupe which is still not launched in India.