VIDEO: 2012 Mercedes C-Class Coupe Spied at California Processing Center

The all-new 2012 Mercedes C-Class Coupe, that may or may not debut in Detroit next week as a Geneva Salon show up in March is also a strong possibility, was spied at the Long Beach Vehicle Processing Center in California by a crafty Youtube user. The lightly camouflaged C-Class with the two-door body was parked alongside other Mercedes-Benz models including a pair of wrapped up prototypes that appear to be the next generation M-Class and SLK roadster.

While exact specifications aren’t known yet, it's believed that the C-Class Coupe will be almost identical to its recently refreshed four-door and Estate siblings under the skin, offering buyers a choice of four-cylinder and V6 gasoline engines, while a V8-powered AMG model could also be in the cards.

Source: Youtube via: Autoblog.it

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2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Patent Drawings

While looking for the designs of the Smart Roadster model we showed you in our previous post, we stumbled upon these drawings of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK used for trademark filings. Being that an official video of the 2012 SLK has already been leaked online (you can watch it after the jump if you missed out), these pictures simply offer some additional -and unobstructed- views of the roadster model with the retractable hardtop.

Boasting a similar silhouette (though with edgier details) to the outgoing model, the new SLK will arrive in the market sometime next year offering buyers a revamped engine lineup of four-cylinder and V6 gasoline units, and if the rumors turn out to be true, a diesel option also. The range will be completed by a high-performance AMG model, said to be equipped with either twin-turbocharged V6 or a larger-displacement V8 engine.

Keep an eye out for the SLK either at the Detroit Motor Show in mid-January or at the Geneva Salon in March.

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SPIED: Mercedes-Benz' SLS AMG Roadster Loses the Top and Gullwing Doors

Mercedes-Benz is nearing the end of the development process of its forthcoming open-top SLS AMG Roadster, which will join the coupe model when it enters the market late next year. Apart from dropping the metal top in favor of an electrically operated fabric roof, as you can see from the location of the door handles in these latest spy pictures, the SLS AMG's famous Gullwing-style doors have made way for more conventional items.

The Roadster model will also gain a pair of partially hidden roll bars located behind the front passengers, which will deploy higher in the event of a rollover crash. The firm's Airscarf neck-heating system will most likely be offered on the standard list.

Under the elongated hood, the SLS AMG Roadster won't differ mechanically from its tin-top twin featuring the same 6.3-litre V8 powerplant with 571HP and 650Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will handle the delivery to the rear wheels. However, buyers should expect some minor losses in performance because of the added weight of the body-strengthening measures, which compensate for the removal of the rooftop.

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2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate Spied, Shows Redesigned Interior

Our intrepid spy photographers not only caught the Estate version of the facelifted 2011 C-Class, but this time they also managed to snag some pictures of the car's redesigned dashboard, which will be the same for all body styles including the sedan and the new addition to the range, the coupe.

Taking styling cues from the larger E- and S-Class models, the prototype C-Class facelift pictured here gets a newly designed instrument panel that extends to include the display screen over the new center console, which has new controls and air-vents.

On the outside, the light camouflage hide a series of subtle design tweaks that include gently massaged front and rear bumpers, small changes to the design of the headlamps and tail lights plus a more contoured bonnet and front grille.

There's not much info going around about the engineering upgrades, but buyers should expect some mechanical tweaks to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions across the range.

The facelifted C-Class sedan and Estate models along with the all-new Coupe variant (see our most recent spy shots here) will go on sale next spring.

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SPIED: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Loses the Heavy Cladding

Last time we showed you spy photos of Mercedes-Benz's forthcoming 2012 M-Class and ML63 AMG SUVs [confusingly, Merc uses the 'M-Class' title for the series and the 'ML' prefix for the model designation], both models were covered in heavy plastic cladding.

In these latest scoop pics of the flagship ML63 AMG, the plastic armor is gone and replaced by black tape, providing us with a more revealing look at the car's styling. The new M-Class features a 'boxier' shape and is evidently more heavily sculpted than the current model. It also gets the more angular grille up front, found on all the latest Mercedes cars.

The AMG-prepped model seen here, features some unique styling details such as the specific bumper designs, side skirts, spoilers and larger alloy wheels.

Underneath the sheetmetal, the new M-Class' chassis is shared with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango models as one of the last legacies from the former Daimler-Chrysler partnerships.

Being an AMG model, this M-Class will no doubt feature several upgrades to the suspension, steering and braking systems, and most importantly, the German firm's newly developed 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine in place of the current SUV's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter unit.

We still don't know the output numbers on the ML63 AMG, but on other Mercedes models, the bi-turbocharged V8 kicks out 544-horsepower and 800Nm or 590lb ft in standard form, and 571HP and 900Nm or 663.8 lb-ft with an available performance pack upgrade.

Look for the new ML63 AMG to debut at a major international car show in 2011.

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