The Mercedes-Benz GLK (codename X204) is a compact luxury crossover SUV that went on sale from the autumn of 2008 after its public debut at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show alongside the competing Audi Q5.
The name GLK is an acronym for Geländewagen Luxus Kompaktklasse, taking its name from larger Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, which in turn was named after the G-Wagen or Geländewagen. Thus, the GL is the luxury-oriented version of the G, and GLK is the compact version of the GL.
From 2015, with the release of the second generation X205 model, the GLK-Class will be renamed to Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class as per the revised nomenclature adopted by the brand. Under this scheme, SUVs use the base name "GL", followed by the model's placement in Mercedes-Benz hierarchy. The "G" is for geländewagen (German for off-road vehicle) and alludes the long-running G-Wagen. This is followed by the letter "L" that acts as a linkage with the letter "C"—the GLC being the SUV equivalent to the C-Class.
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