Mercedes-Benz is not selling the outgoing GLK compact crossover in India but that will change in time for the second generation which will be renamed as part of the company’s new naming scheme. It will be commercialized with the GLC moniker to better represent its similarity in size with the latest generation C-Class (W205) upon which the model will actually be based.
In the attached footage we get the chance to take a closer look at a batch of near-production prototypes revealing the brand new design as the GLC will look significantly more curvaceous than the blocky yet distinctive GLK which will soon be retired. This is basically a crossover version of the C-Class from where it will inherit the entire cabin and will also use the same array of engines and gearboxes.
Unlike the GLK, the new GLC has been engineered for right-hand drive markets and it will also spawn a range-topping Mercedes-GLC 63 AMG version that currently isn’t available for the outgoing model. It will use a twin-turbo V8 4.0-liter engine while sitting right below the fully-fledged AMG version could be an AMG Sport version equipped with a twin-turbo V6 3.0-liter engine as seen in the C450 AMG Sport.
It should be mentioned the GLC will actually be bigger than the GLK so expect to find a roomier interior cabin thanks to the stretched wheelbase. Mercedes-Benz has decided to make the GLC bigger because they want to distance it from the A-Class-based GLA which now serves as the company’s entry-level crossover.
Set to be revealed on June 17, the Mercedes-Benz GLC will go on sale in Europe probably this fall while Indian is expected to get the model in the first half of 2016. Needless to say, it will be a tad more expensive than the equivalent C-Class and will be optionally available with a 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.
