Mercedes-Benz is working on a new model that’s set to replace the C- and E-Class coupe and convertible. We expect the company to call it the CLE, and our spy photographers have been capturing camouflaged test vehicles out and about. The latest spy shots capture a plug-in hybrid variant that’s not the hotter AMG trim.

The photos show a familiar-looking vehicle covered from bumper to bumper in camouflage. The deceptive coverings hide the coupe’s finer styling details, but the car’s look falls in line with the rest of the Mercedes lineup, with the brand’s grille flanked by thin headlights. Mercedes hides the rear taillights well, but the cutout for the charge port on the rear bumper is clearly visible.

10 Photos

Spy shots from September captured the cabin, which contained a few surprises. While Mercedes tried to hide it under a fabric covering, the photos revealed the car’s digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and its angled infotainment screen mounted below the HVAC vents on the dash. It looks like other modern Mercedes interiors.

The CLE’s powertrain details remain shrouded in mystery, but it’ll likely borrow them from the C-Class as the two cars ride on the same MRA-2 platform. The C 300e pairs a turbo 2.0-liter with an electric motor and battery to produce 309 horsepower (230 kilowatts) and 405 pound-feet (550 Newton-meters) of torque. The sedan sprints to 62 miles per hour 100 kilometers per hour) in 6.1 seconds. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s the powertrain Mercedes chooses to use in the CLE.

Mercedes will offer the CLE various engine options, just like the C-Class. We have already spotted two AMG variants, with the hotter CLE 63 hybrid possibly sharing a powertrain with the 671-hp (500-kW) AMG C63 S E Performance. Only time will tell.

The automaker has announced when it will reveal the new model. Mercedes will offer it in coupe and convertible forms, and the company could stagger the launch, revealing the regular CLE variants ahead of the AMG ones. Mercedes has a few weeks before 2022 ends if it hopes to reveal the model this year. If that doesn’t happen, we expect a debut in early 2023.

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