IAB reader snaps the India-bound Mercedes GLC SUV with sparse camouflage - Spied [Update]

Update - IAB reader Toldi videotaped the Mercedes GLC near the company's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The GLC is expected to be revealed in the first half of this year. Further information on the SUV is available below the gallery.

[Head to YouTube if you're unable to view the video above.]

Mercedes GLC - Spyshot Gallery

Rides on the new C Class's MRA platform.

Indian Autos Blog reader Luca from Spaetzle Photography snapped the Mercedes GLC (next generation Mercedes GLK) on test in the south of Germany. This particular test mule is thinly disguised hinting that an unveiling is just weeks, maybe a couple of months, away.

The GLC is based on the new C Class's MRA (Mercedes Rear Wheel drive Architecture) platform, which should result in substantial weight savings over the GLK it replaces, thanks to the use of high-tensile steel and aluminium.

Spyshots have shown that the BMW X3-rival will get a similar interior to that of the new C Class with a fingertip-operated touchpad display, a chunky 3-spoke steering wheel and Mercedes's latest version of the COMAND infotainment system.

The GLC will also borrow its engines from the new C Class, which for the Indian market is offered with four-cylinder petrol and diesel motors paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. While the GLC will sport a rear-wheel drive layout as standard, Mercedes's 4MATIC all-wheel drive system will be fitted on higher variants for added practicality.

The GLC, unlike its predecessor, will be developed for right-hand drive as well as left-hand drive markets. Mercedes-Benz India's CEO, Mr. Eberhard Kern, told IAB that the SUV will launch in India.

Also read: 2016 Mercedes-Benz E Class snapped testing by an IAB reader

Based on the GLC, Mercedes-Benz will also make a coupe-styled crossover called the GLC Coupe. A "near-production" concept will be shown at the Auto Shanghai 2015 which starts for the media on April 20, 2015.

Rivals: Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, BMW X3
Launch date: H2 2015 (Europe), 2016 in India