If you are still wondering how Mercedes-Benz plans to beat its German competition and take the reins from the likes of BMW and Audi in the premium car segment, the new CLC sports saloon is just one example of how the Stuttgart-based company intends to proceed in the future and lure more customers to its brand.
Mercedes-Benz insiders rightfully describe the CLC (note that the company may use a different name for the production car) as a "baby CLS".
The latter was the German firm's first sporty looking sedan and it essentially established a category that many automakers and the press alike are akin to calling "four-door coupes" (feel free to agree or disagree with the term).
Spied here during summer testing in Europe, the prototype CLC is still under heavy camouflage but that doesn't do much to hide the four-door sedan's swoopy proportions and the rakish roofline.
If you can't make that leap into your imagination, then just take a look at Mercedes-Benz's F800 Style study shown at the Geneva Salon last year as the CLC will be closely modeled after that concept, sans of course certain elements such as the sliding rear doors.
The CLC will be built on an extended version of Mercedes' new MFA platform that will debut on the 2012 A-Class at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
It is believed that Mercedes will offer the CLC in both front-wheel and four-wheel drive, while the lineup will include the firm's latest crop of turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines.
A flagship AMG model sporting a high-powered turbocharged gasoline unit and possibly four-wheel drive, could be in the cards as well.
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