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Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe Spied with as Little Camouflage as Possible

 Mercedes-Benz has kept itself busy these past few years, and its feverish activity is starting to pay dividends with the Stuttgart brand overtaking Audi in terms of global sales and breathing down BMW's neck from only a few inches away.
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
This success can only be attributed to two main factors: a change in both interior and exterior design, and a determination to fill every existing and non-existing niche.

The approach was to offer the customers a Mercedes-Benz alternative to any product the competition might have, and that's how we've come to have a GLE Coupe and, soon enough, a GLC Coupe.

The GLE Coupe is already on the market duelling with the well-established BMW X6, but the smaller X4 is still enjoying a solitary existence. But those days are numbered as the GLC is a short time away from its official launch.

Given how down-to-earth the GLC Coupe Concept looked, the real deal will be extremely similar to the prototype showed in Shanghai earlier this year. Not that we actually needed that to project a mental picture of the thing, with the regular GLC and GLE Coupe lying about.

There are still some who regret the departure from GLK's boxier design in favor of this C-Class SUV clone, but that shape could never have been declined as a coupe, something Mercedes-Benz was clearly bent on. The BMW X6 already had too much time alone on a very lucrative segment, so Mercedes needed to act more quickly here.

Whether this compact coupe SUV market will prove to be as successful as the mid-sized one, where the X6 still reigns, remains to be seen, what we do know is that there's a new player in the picture and it's here to stay.

Now, regarding the engine options, expect the GLC Coupe to come with the same assortment as its regular sibling, which means two diesel options for Europe and one gasoline available everywhere in the world, with more to follow, including a hybrid.

Not all models come standard with the 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system, so those who for some reason want to wipe out the last remaining trait of the GLC Coupe still giving its SUV name some backing can do just that.

Mercedes-Benz hasn't confirmed a launch date for the GLC Coupe, but it should come early next year, with quite a few options on the table: NAIAS, Geneva or even Shanghai, where the concept first broke cover.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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