Strongly determined not to make the same mistake twice, the Stuttgart-based automaker has announced that it will travel to this year’s Shanghai Motor Show to unveil a close-to-production concept called GLC Coupe. The GLC Coupe is a concept in name only, and Mercedes’ top brass has all but confirmed that it will quickly spawn a brand new crossover aimed right at the BMW X4.
Designed as a more style-focused version of the upcoming GLC-Class, which will replace the GLK, the GLC Coupe falls in line with Mercedes’ current design language thanks to styling cues like a tall front end, a trapezoidal radiator grille with soft edges, sharp bullet-shaped headlights and a pair of power domes on the hood. Being a concept, it is inevitably fitted with oversized alloy wheels wrapped by ultra-low-profile tires, doors that don’t have exterior handles and futuristic-looking mirrors.
Overall, the GLC Coupe is noticeably inspired by the bigger GLE Coupe. The lone teaser sketch published by Mercedes suggests that the concept features a coupe-like roofline that peaks above the driver, pronounced haunches and sculpted flanks that reduce visual mass. Pictures of the concept’s rear fascia have not been published yet.
Mercedes-Benz is expected to fully unveil the GLC Coupe concept online in the next couple of days. The GLC-Class will almost certainly be presented to the public next fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a toned-down, production-bound version of the GLC Coupe concept bow next January at the 2016 edition of the Detroit Motor Show.
