Mercedes-Benz's GLC is about to come in for a minor facelift. The changes represent a mid-cycle update for the small luxury SUV which first arrived in 2015 as a 2016 model. We should see this updated version in the second half of 2019 as a 2020 model. The GLC is an important model for Mercedes. The automaker sold close to 70,000 of them in the United States last year, which is the best result since the SUV went on sale. This means you shouldn't expect Mercedes to rock the boat with this update. We can spot minor revisions to the grille and headlights, with the latter benefiting from a new daytime running light design. There's also likely a new front fascia under all of that cladding. More advanced prototypes should exhibit changes at the rear as well. Inside, there will be an upgrade of the infotainment system. Unfortunately, the updated GLC will miss out on the advanced dual-screen system that debuted in the new A-Class. Instead, the updated GLC will feature the same system found in the updated 2019 C-Class. There's a larger screen at the top of the center stack and a new touchpad in the center console. There's also a larger screen in the instrument cluster and a new steering wheel with extra controls. The GLC's base 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 will likely see horsepower increased from 241 to 255 horsepower, reflecting a similar change for the updated C-Class. In the GLC43 model from AMG, output from the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 will likely be bumped to 385 hp, up from 362 hp currently, once again reflecting a similar change in the updated C-Class. The GLC63 sledgehammer was just added for 2018 so we're not expecting any changes there.
Yaqub says his customers often have a similar experience. 鈥淲hen people have a relatively new car to part-exchange, they often say they had a five-minute drive, and didn鈥檛 realise how bad the seats are, or how firm the ride is,鈥?he tells us. Test drive over, we head inside to talk prices. MyWay has four supporting dealers around the periphery of London and, after a customer has specified their Mazda, those dealers bid on it, supplying quotes within an hour, and ultimately delivering a car to the customer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really easy platform,鈥?Yaqub says, adding that vehicles are collected for annual servicing as part of the package. As MyWay brand champions aren鈥檛 commissioned, it鈥檚 a pressure-free experience, too. MyWay originally focused on Mazda buyers in London, but 2,000 test drives and 400 sales later, the service has expanded to Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and an adapted version is to be offered in Greater Manchester. Don鈥檛 live in one of the areas covered by MyWay? How about Hyundai鈥檚 nationwide Click to Buy programme?
Originally intended as an adjunct to Hyundai鈥檚 shopping-mall outlets, the Click to Buy initiative proved so popular that the company made it a standalone model. A quick play around with Click to Buy reveals its simplicity. We input our own car鈥檚 details in the part-exchange section, receive a realistic valuation, set a budget for a new car and are presented with finance options for the i20 and the Kona Electric. 鈥淎 number of cars are price-pointed nationally,鈥?Whitehorn tells us. How many people, we ask, order without a test drive? 鈥淚n our city stores, just 53 per cent of customers had a test drive before buying,鈥?Whitehorn explains. Whitehorn stresses the Click to Buy service is not intended to replace the manufacturer鈥檚 garages. 鈥淵ou go to a dealer to pick the car up, or the dealer delivers it to you, and you cement a relationship,鈥?he says. The boss is keenly aware, though, that buying habits vary between generations. 鈥淢y kids wouldn鈥檛 go into a dealership to buy a new car, but my parents wouldn鈥檛 buy a car online,鈥?he explains.
The 700,000 visits Click to Buy saw in the first 10 months of the year may have only resulted in 652 sales, but Hyundai is confident those numbers will only increase as digitisation grows. 鈥淚t takes time; I get it,鈥?Whitehorn says. Another company at the vanguard of car sales is tech firm ZeroLight. It specialises in augmented reality, virtual reality and high-definition car visualisations, working with the likes of BMW, Pagani and Porsche, and recently developing a real-time 3D online configurator and virtual reality service for Audi. The aim is to make car buying more immersive, accurate and engaging for would-be customers. ZeroLight鈥檚 chief marketing officer, Francois de Bodinat, tells us that the sheer number of options and configuration possibilities available today makes it hard for buyers to get an accurate idea of what their car will really look like. 鈥淲hen you change the wheels, the paint, the interior colour, have a roofbox, a bike rack, there are a massive number of configurations.
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