The Mercedes-Benz M-Class, the luxury SUV that birthed Alabama's auto industry, has gotten a makeover.

The vehicle, which is assembled at the German automaker's Tuscaloosa County factory, has been updated for the 2016 model year. Changes include newly-designed front and tail ends, as well as a plug-in hybrid version that's new to the lineup.

And, along with its new look,the M-Class has a new name. It will be known as the GLE-Class when the updated vehicles arrive in showrooms this summer.

The new moniker is part of a larger renaming strategy for Mercedes that's aimed at making a closer correlation between its SUVs and similarly-sized sedans.

For instance, the "E" in GLE hints at the E-Class sedan. Next year, the GL-Class, another Alabama product, will be renamed the GLS-Class, in a nod to the S-Class sedan.

The M-Class first rolled off the production line in Alabama in 1997, the first vehicle built in the state industry that has since added vehicle and engine assembly plants for Honda, Hyundai and Toyota and hundreds of suppliers.

It also helped Mercedes set off a trend among premium automakers. Before then, SUVs weren't really seen as luxury vehicles.

Today, that's changed, as the luxury SUV segment is crowded with offerings.

"Often copied, rarely equalled - the M-Class established the segment of premium SUVs in 1997 and since then has been one of the most successful models in the world," Ola Kaellenius, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Cars (and former head of the company's Alabama operations) said in a statement. "With the launch of the GLE, the edition will surpass the 1.6 million mark."

Changing the name of an established vehicle can disrupt sales, but market conditions might mean it won't matter, said Karl Brauer, senior auto industry analyst for Kelley Blue Book. 

"You could make the argument that because SUV sales are so hot right now, this is the best time to do it," he said. "If buyers like what they see in the showroom, they might not be too wound up on what it's called."

So far this year, U.S. sales of the M-Class are up 3.4 percent over last year, and it is the volume leader among Mercedes SUVs.

Mercedes showed off two high-performance versions of the new GLE at the New York International Auto Show last week.

Driving performance, safety features and emissions also are improved in the 2016 update, Mercedes says. Fuel economy data and pricing have not been announced yet.

So is the new naming system tricky for the workers who have built the M-Class for the last 18 years?

Jason Hoff, head of Mercedes' Alabama operations, said another new product at the plant -- a coupe-style version of the SUV called the GLE Coupe -- is helping matters there.

"It's a bit of a challenge, but since we're launching the GLE Coupe first, it will help with the transition when we have to start calling the M the GLE," he said.

Full Article: http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/04/new_name_new_face_for_vehicle.html#incart_river