If there are any white spaces left in the luxury car market, it seems like the German makers are intent on filling them as fast as possible. We’ve been seeing a flood of new offerings in recent months and the tsunami is set to continue, if this image from Mercedes-Benz is any indication.
Dieter Zetsche, the Mercedes brand boss and Chairman of Daimler AG offered an unexpected sneak peak during the maker’s annual shareholders meeting of the Concept Coupe SUV.
Set to make its official debut at the Beijing Motor Show later this month, it’s expected to reappear in the very near future in concept form as the new MLC-Class.
More aggressive than the familiar M-Class ute, the MLC is being targeted at the all-new BMW X6 five-door coupe/SUV.
“The sportily styled coupé study with the added value of an SUV provides a realistic glimpse of a series-production vehicle expected next year, which will boast very dynamic handling,” explained Zetsche, promising Daimler shareholders that the maker is on its way to regaining the luxury sales lead it ceded to its Bavarian rival a few years back.
“With the Concept Coupe SUV we aim to secure new customers by opening up new segments for Mercedes-Benz,” Zetsche continued, suggesting there’s “a great deal of potential” in a combination coupe/SUV.
How much potential remains to be seen. Coupe-like utes haven’t exactly set the world on fire but it seems that the German makers are locked in a war of proliferation, unwilling to cede any ground to their rivals.
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The MLC is expected to share its basic underpinnings with the third-generation M-Class, and powertrain options, as well. That would almost certainly mean an assortment of V-6 and V-8 gasoline and diesel engines. And few would be surprised to see an MLC63 AMG model, perhaps even a V-12 in an MLC65 AMG.
And several green versions appear to be in the works with both a diesel-electric hybrid and gasoline-based plug-in hybrid in development.
For now, Mercedes isn’t giving out many details, other than to hint the MLC “will boast very dynamic handling.”
Production of the MLC – known inside Mercedes by the codename C292 – is expected to begin sometime in mid- to late-2015. And it would take its place alongside the ML-Class, rolling down the maker’s assembly plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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Wow, just FUGLY!