Mercedes GLS To Take On BMW X6: Report

MERCEDES-BENZ GLS

Mercedes-Benz is reportedly working on a sleek new SUV aimed squarely at BMW's coupe-styled X6 SUV. 

The report, in Britain's Autocar magazine, follows rumours that Audi is considering its own sporty 'Q6' to rival the pioneering but certainly polarising X6.

“After closely monitoring sales trends, we’ve concluded there is potential for an additional off-road model with a more sporting emphasis than the new M-class,” an unnamed insider at Mercedes-Benz is reported to have told the magazine.

There is good reason for both Mercedes and Audi to consider their own sports-focused SUVs: although BMW X6 sales have flagged in Australia (18 were sold in May this year, compared to 35 in May 2010; against the 193 X5s sold in May), the X6 has been a strong seller internationally, selling over 120,000 since its introduction in 2009.

Dubbed 'GLS' in the press, the new Merc would reportedly utilise the same platform that underpins the all-new M-Class and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Little else on the new SUV is known, but powertrains will likely include the same petrol and diesel engines offered with the new M-Class, along with AMG's new 5.5 litre twin-turbo V8 engine.

Picture above and below: the new 2012 M-Class.