Work is well under way on a major facelift for Mercedes-Benz's C-Class family, just 12 months after it was first revealed, as these spy shots show.
The biggest exterior change will be a completely revised dashboard featuring a full-width TFT screen, very similar to that used in the new S-Class flagship.
The new dash will be fully reconfigurable, allowing the driver to scroll through a number of different graphic displays.
The new TFT screen will also be integral to a raft of ‘autonomous’ driving technologies that will be offered on the revised C-Class, which is expected to be revealed in late 2016.
The new car will be equipped with a raft of detection equipment, including radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors, to allow it to ‘read’ its surroundings.
The ‘Stop and Go Autopilot’ feature being offered on the current S-Class will almost certainly be offered on the next C-Class. This system allows autonomous driving in traffic jams, the car self-steering to stay in lane and using radar and auto-braking to prevent low-speed impacts.
It’s thought the prototype C-Class caught winter testing in Scandinavia is undergoing proving trials to ensure that the car’s exterior sensors work as well as possible in severe weather, such a very low temperatures and with snow being thrown up by the vehicle ahead.
Other changes to the C-Class are expected to be relatively mild, including some cosmetic alterations to the exterior and interior trim and tweaks to the engine range.
