The first locally made Mercedes GLK SUV rolled off the production line of Beijing Benz ― Mercedes’ joint venture with Beijing Automotive Group ― in Beijing. China’s SUV sector registered soaring 66% year-on-year growth in the first 10 months of 2011, far beyond the performance of the overall auto market. “No doubt, local production of the GLK is not only a benchmark in Beijing-Benz’s portfolio, but also shows the company’s confidence and perseverance to further tap China’s high-end auto segment,” said Xu Heyi, President of the joint venture. As an import, the high-end compact SUV sold 12,140 units in 2010 and 11,490 in the first six months of this year alone to become one of the most popular foreign-assembled luxury SUVs in China. The locally built model is almost exactly the same as the imported version, except with a bit longer wheelbase to suit domestic tastes. It is expected to go on sale around the end of the year at prices ranging from CNY380,000 to CNY400,000. The company will stop importing the GLK, said company executives. “Our sales are expected to grow over 85% in 2011 from last year, and revenues will greatly increase, too,” said Xu. Including imported vehicles, Mercedes-Benz reports year-to-date sales of 157,000 vehicles in China, a 36% increase over a year ago, already surpassing its full-year figure for 2010. Beijing Benz currently builds the long-wheelbase E-Class and new-generation C-Class in China, which generate about 30% of overall Mercedes sales in the country. In addition to the GLK, a new A-Class, new B-Class and a small SUV BLK will be made in China, the China Daily reports.