Luxury car companies know utilities are money makers. Just ask Mercedes-Benz. From a global perspective, a third of Mercedes-Benz vehicles are now an SUV…a quarter are compacts. So they’re unveiling their 8th ute. MotorWeek is in Utah for the world premiere of the new Mercedes-Benz GLB. As you would expect from the name, this “B” slips into the line-up between the “A” and “C” classes. The GLB’s wheelbase is 5.1 inches longer than the GLA and 1.7 inches shorter than the GLC.

A 2-liter M 260 four-cylinder gas engine will produce 221-horsepower matched with an 8G dual-clutch automatic transmission.4MATIC all-wheel drive is an option. The MBUX personal assistant is part of the technology. The GLB seats five, with an optional third row bringing the total up to seven.

We’re just getting our first look. We’ll have more details as time goes on.