It was just last year when Mercedes-Benz gave their popular C-Class a mid-cycle update which gave added showroom traffic. This means a brand new C-Class is on its way and this is why we have this spy-shot of a brand new C-Class being tested for release in 2021.
The current Mercedes-Benz C-Class arrived in 2015 and was an immediate sales hit in all markets, including Malaysia.
The 2022 C-Class will probably see a major shift for its top of the range version which is powered by AMG. The AMG C63 is rumored to switch to an electrified 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with four cylinders replacing the current twin-turbo V8. This news will not go down well with the many AMG purists, especially the ones living in China and ASEAN nations where emission laws are not yet tight enough to see V8’s being charged with a heavy tax.
However, the addition of an electric motor to the four-cylinder engine would allow the 2022 C63 AMG to get more power over its current 503 horsepower.
The current best selling version of the C-Class, the C200 which uses a 255bhp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine will probably still be used in this all new 2022 C-Class.
The debut of this new C-Class should come before the fourth quarter of 2021 with sales starting in Europe first and there will still be a sedan and station-wagon version. The 2022 C-Class is expected to step up its luxury and technology game by adopting most of the features developed for the all-new S-Class. This includes everything from the infotainment system to the efficient hybrid technology.
The interior design will be a lot more radical, with a large infotainment screen similar to the one in the S-Class positioned in the center stack and another screen serving as the instrument cluster. You will notice that the updated 2019 C-Class missed out on Mercedes’ latest infotainment system known as MBUX, but the latest version of the system will appear in the new C-Class. It operates much like a smartphone’s operating system and also uses natural speech to control many of the vehicles functions.
Underpinning the new C-Class is an updated version of the current generation’s MRA rear-wheel-drive platform. The platform actually made its debut in the current C-Class and is thus relatively new. The updated version will bring significant weight savings primarily through increased use of aluminum over steel.
If you are already ready to buy yourself a C-Class in Malaysia, please do not read this and decide to wait as the Malaysian launch is still 2-years plus away and like the current 2021 E-Class which was launched earlier this year in Europe, Malaysia has still no date when it will arrive as local assembly of these popular models will always delay their introduction in Malaysia.
