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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Mercedes releases new photos of 2012 SLK Roadster, gets panoramic glass roof

Mercedes-Benz has published a bevy of pictures of its next-generation SLK hardtop roadster during endurance testing in the heat of Death Valley to show off the upcoming model's panoramic glass-roof with Magic Sky Control [MSC].

Driving with the top down is not always an option. There might be clear blue skies, but temperatures could be also very low. Other times the car's interior gets way too hot if it has a panoramic glass roof. Either way, your drive is ruined.

And this is where the Magic Sky Control system comes into the picture. A roughly 2,000 euro (US $2,772) option for the next generation SLK, the MSC is, in essence, a panoramic roof that can be made either transparent or darkened, just by pushing a button.

So, when it's too cold you make it transparent and still enjoy the nice visuals or, when you have to park in the sun, it darkens on engine-shut down and the interior remains much more cooler. No more burnt arms on an over-heated armrest…

Mercedes says that the system works on the principle of a plate condenser. The glass roof has some special particles in it, which react to electrical voltage. And when you push that button you're feeding it voltage or cutting the supply off, thus the glass becomes transparent or not.

The Germans have been testing the Magic Sky Control on prototype SLKs in Death Valley (check out the gallery below) and came to the conclusion that parts of the interior remain much cooler (up to 10 degrees Celsius) than in cars using traditional green glass.

The 2012 Mercedes SLK is expected to go on sale next summer and we'll probably see it for the first time either at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2011 or at the Geneva Salon in March of the same year.

If we're to believe the rumors going around, the new generation of the roadster model may be the first SLK to get a diesel engine. Other than that, it's business as as usual under the bonnet, with turbocharged four-pots and more noble V6s.

By Csaba Daradics

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