Mercedes C Coupe on ice 3

Spotted by our European spy photographers is the upcoming Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe – Stuttgart's engineers seem to be having fun hustling the mule seen here in the snowy regions of northern Europe, ahead of the car's expected unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

There's still not much that can be discerned from the prototype, but the extensive camouflage seen all over the car hits that there will be some styling changes to differentiate the two-door beyond, well, lopping off two doors. This would follow the lead of its closest rival, the BMW 4 Series, which looks sleeker and more dynamic than the 3 Series on which it's based.

Mercedes C Coupe on ice 10

We can already see that the coupé will feature wing mirrors that have moved from the base of the A-pillar to sit on top of the doors, an elegant, stretched out roofline, slim tail lights, integrated dual tailpipes and a low-set number plate recess, cues that have been taken off the bigger S-Class Coupe.

The interior should retain most of the regular C-Class' cabin design and switchgear, but could make use of higher-end trim and materials. As for powertrains, the usual range of four- and six-cylinder turbo engines are expected to feature, as will a 362 PS 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 on the C 450 AMG and a 476 PS (510 PS on the S model) 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 on the AMG C 63. Hybrid and 4Matic all-wheel drive models, too.