Could be introduced later this year

The 2015 Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid is inching closer to production as our spies have caught a prototype in a parking lot.

Looking instantly recognizable, the plug-in hybrid variant is distinguished by an active shutter grille and a revised rear bumper which has an integrated charging port that is similar to the one on the S-Class plug-in hybrid.

The interior picture doesn't reveal any significant changes but were wouldn't be surprised if the model comes with a revised COMAND system that shows hybrid-specific driving information.

While nothing is official, the model is expected to use a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a 68 PS (50 kW) electric motor. This will reportedly enable the sedan to return up to 78.4 mpg US (94.1 mpg UK or 3 L/100 km).

Could debut later this year

The 2015 Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid has been spied undisguised near the company's headquarters in Stuttgart.

Looking virtually identical to the standard model, the plug-in hybrid variant is distinguished by a rear charging port that is integrated into the rear bumper. The model has also been equipped with active shutter grille that helps to improve the car's aerodynamics when additional engine cooling is not required.

Our spies also snapped an interior photo but it doesn't reveal any changes. However, we can expect a revised COMAND system that shows hybrid-specific driving information.

Mercedes has be relatively tight-lipped about the model but it is expected to use a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a 68 PS (50 kW) electric motor. However, there has also been speculation that the model could use a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 instead of the aforementioned four-cylinder.

The hottest version of the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the new C63 AMG, was spotted at the Nürburgring race track in Germany recently, and we have it caught on video. Although the latest C-Class is already available in many markets, AMG is waiting until after the launch of the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car this fall to introduce the new C63 AMG.

That’s because the two cars will share an engine, a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, and AMG understandably wants to introduce it in its halo product. The good news, as this video confirms, is that the exhaust note of the new engine sounds just as brutal as that of the outgoing C63 AMG’s 6.2-liter V-8, despite a pair of turbos blocking the flow of the exhaust gases.

Both power and torque levels should rise over those of the outgoing C63 AMG, which rates at 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, and fuel economy should be improved as well. Performance should also be boosted considerably in the new model thanks to the lighter and more rigid MRA platform underpinning the car.

Other features should include an AMG SPEEDSHIFT seven-speed transmission and AMG DRIVE UNIT, the latter allowing owners to modify many of the vehicle’s settings, from the speed of gear shifts to the suspension stiffness. The new C63 AMG is also expected to retain a rear-wheel-drive setup despite AMG’s recent moves to make the E63 AMG and S63 AMG models all-wheel-drive as standard here in the U.S.

Look for a reveal towards the end of the year, meaning a debut at either the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show in November or 2015 Detroit Auto Show in January. Further down the track we’ll see a C63 AMG wagon launched, albeit not in the States, and eventually a new Black Series model.

For more details on the new C63 AMG, including additional spy shots, check out our previous report.

For the first time in the history of the C-Class series, there will be a convertible version of Mercedes' compact executive car that will rival BMW's 4-Series and Audi's A5 convertibles. The new cabriolet will be based on the upcoming C-Class Coupe, itself riding on the lighter underpinnings of the already available W205 sedan featuring a sleeker appearance with a pillar-less design.

This new convertible tester has dropped the black plastic body panels of previous prototypes to allows us a slightly better view of its figure, but it continues to sport a hardtop, even though the production car will adopt a multi-layered fabric roof, similar in design to the E-Class Convertible.

The open top C-Class' engine lineup should largely mirror that of the sedan, sans the lower powered units and possibly, the bi-turbocharged V8 of the C63 AMG, and may be offered with the brand's all-wheel drive 4MATIC system too.

Mercedes hasn't set an introduction date yet, but we hear that the C-Class Convertible could arrive late next year.

After the start of C-Class production at the Bremen plant in Germany earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz has now begun building the premium sedan model in South Africa, at the East London plant.

The South African facility is the second of four locations to build the all-new C-Class, with Bremen and East London to be followed by Tuscaloosa in USA and Beijing in China within the next months. The new C-Class sedan is the first Mercedes-Benz model to be produced on four continents.

For the East London plant, this is the fourth generation of the C-Class. More than 200 employees from East London completed intensive training at the core plant in Bremen in order to ensure the same standards of quality in South Africa.

“The new C-Class marks another milestone for Mercedes-Benz in South Africa and for the East London plant. We have created 550 new jobs at the plant and have also made significant investments for the qualification of our staff,” said Arno van der Merwe, CEO and Vice President Manufacturing Mercedes-Benz South Africa.

Mercedes-Benz bought the East London plant in 1984, with the facility exporting sedans to right-hand-drive markets since 2000. Since 2007, it has also exported left-hand-drive vehicles to the U.S. The plant built more than 50,000 C-Class sedans in 2013.