Mercedes-Benz GLC EV at RM389k: does a Thai factory change Malaysia's price?

Sep 25

5 min read

Updated: Oct 9

By Arjun Nair · Policy & Industry columnist · 25 Sep 2026

Mercedes-Benz GLC EV at RM389k: does a Thai factory change Malaysia's price?

Not directly: our GLC comes in whole for now, and our own tax rules, not Thailand's factory, set the showroom price.

At a glance

		Source
Estimated price	RM389,000 (Avantgarde), RM399,000 (AMG Line Plus)	Paultan.org
Model	GLC300 electric	Paultan.org
Assembly	CBU first, CKD in Pekan later (no date)	Paultan.org
Thailand price	Under 3.7 million baht (about RM451,800)	Bangkok Post, Paultan.org
CKD EV exemption ends	31 Dec 2027	Paultan.org

TL;DR

The Mercedes-Benz GLC EV price in Malaysia is an estimated RM389,000 (Avantgarde) and RM399,000 (AMG Line Plus), for a fully imported (CBU) GLC300, Paultan.org reports.
Thailand will assemble the same GLC300 locally, with a starting price below 3.7 million baht (about RM451,800). Malaysia's CBU estimate sits up to RM62,800 lower (our arithmetic).
Malaysian assembly (CKD) in Pekan comes later, with no date. The CKD EV tax exemption here ends on 31 Dec 2027.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC EV price in Malaysia is an estimated RM389,000 to RM399,000, and Thailand's new assembly plan does not lower it. So the real question is this: when Thailand builds the car next door, does a Malaysian buyer gain anything?

Infographic: Mercedes-Benz GLC EV at RM389k: does a Thai factory change Malaysia's price?

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz GLC EV at RM389k: does a Thai factory change Malaysia's price?

What did Mercedes-Benz announce in Thailand?

The Bangkok Post reports that Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) will build the electric GLC locally with parts sourced in Thailand. The first cars should reach owners somewhere in the first half of 2027, going by the estimate of president and CEO Christian Schell. Its public debut is the Thailand International Motor Expo later this year, priced under 3.7 million baht.

Paultan.org adds two details. The Thai car is the GLC300, with an 85 kWh battery made in Thailand, the same approach Mercedes took for the electric CLA there. The outlet converts the price to RM451,800.

Thinking about an EV? Drive one for a few days before you buy.

What do CKD and CBU mean for the GLC?

CBU means "completely built up": the car arrives whole from a factory abroad. CKD means "completely knocked down": parts arrive in kits and a local plant puts the car together.

Paultan.org reports that Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) will sell the GLC300 here as a CBU import first. Local assembly in Pekan, Pahang follows later. MBM also said it has no plans to export the GLC to the region. Neither source says that Thai-built cars will come to Malaysia. So the Thai plant and the Malaysian price are, on present facts, two separate stories.

Why is the Malaysian estimate lower than Thailand's?

Here the facts surprise. The Thai car is locally built and still starts higher on paper than our imported one.

GLC300 electric	Build	Price
Malaysia, Avantgarde	CBU, CKD later	RM389,000 (estimate)
Malaysia, AMG Line Plus	CBU, CKD later	RM399,000 (estimate)
Thailand, base	CKD	Under 3.7 million baht (RM451,800)
Rival: BMW iX3, Malaysia	n/a	RM399,800

Malaysian prices and iX3: Paultan.org, 14 Sep 2026. Thai price: Bangkok Post and Paultan.org, 25 Sep 2026.

Our arithmetic: RM451,800 - RM389,000 = RM62,800. Because the Thai figure is a ceiling ("less than"), the true gap is up to that amount. Both prices are pre-launch numbers, and the two countries tax cars differently. Read this as a direction, not a like-for-like quote.

One note for the record. In August, Paultan.org reported an MBM estimate of RM370,000 to RM400,000, beside global specs for the GLC400. The September preview narrowed this to two GLC300 prices. These two reports do not conflict, but the lower end of the range has gone.

Who wins from the CKD vs CBU rules?

Paultan.org reports that the four-year tax exemption for CBU EVs under the franchise AP scheme ended on 31 Dec 2025. From 1 Jul 2026, every CBU EV must have a declared CIF value of at least RM200,000 and at least 180 kW. The GLC300 makes 310 kW, so the power rule does not stop it.

MITI told Parliament it will not reverse these rules, Paultan.org reports. Until 31 Dec 2027, a locally assembled EV pays no import duty, no excise duty and no sales tax at all. That is the prize for moving GLC assembly to Pekan.

Thailand plays the same game. Paultan.org reports that its excise department is drafting a new EV tax framework that rewards investment, export production and higher-value local parts. Earlier EV3 and EV3.5 programmes brought in eight to 10 factories.

Who loses?

The early buyer carries the CBU cost. If a CKD GLC arrives before the end of 2027, it can carry tax exemptions that the imported car does not. Whether MBM passes that saving on is not known. That is my view, not a confirmed price.

Thai parts makers also feel pressure. Paultan.org reports that the Federation of Thai Industries wants EV makers to buy more local parts, partly over US concern about transshipment.

What should you watch next?

First, the Thai debut at the motor expo late this year, when the "under 3.7 million baht" becomes a real price. Second, the date MBM gives for Pekan assembly. Third, the New Customised Incentive Mechanism (NCM). MITI deputy minister Sim Tze Tzin says it starts next year and links tax cuts to real localisation, Paultan.org reports. The hard deadline is 31 Dec 2027.

Arjun's take

I have watched both countries chase the same factory for many years. Thailand offers Mercedes a bigger home market and a battery built locally. Malaysia offers Pekan and a CKD exemption that ends in 2027. Do not wait for a Thai GLC to cross the border, lah, the sources give no sign of it. At the end of the day, our price moves when Pekan starts work, and MBM has not given that date.