Mercedes Concept GLC Coupe sets sights on BMW X4

Mercedes is going in looking to take over BMW's dominance of the premium SUV market with two new midsize models. Development on the GLC is well underway, and now a design sketch teases a swoopy new GLC Coupe set to appear in 2016 and go head-to-head with the BMW X4.

The new GLC SUV will go on sale in the UK in the summer, replacing the outoing GLK that never made it to our shores. That car will likely cause problems for the established crowd such as the BMW X3 and Audi Q5, but it appears Mercedes is also having another go at niche-busting.

The coupe-SUV bodystyle has already been explored by Merc in the form of the BMW X6-rivalling GLE Coupe on sale in the summer. But this 'design study' shows a planned model to sit underneath that car, sharing design cues like the rakish profile, sloping roofline and rugged stance but in a shrunken form.

The GLC Coupe could possibly feature a sporty cockpit with a low-slung driving position and four-seat layout, made necessary by the dramatic roof design. It'll also borrow Mercedes' latest range of four cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines, and should benefit from sporty powertrain options such as the 362bhp 3.0-litre V6 from the C450 AMG-Sport.

We won't rule out Mercedes introducing an even hotter GLC AMG Coupe at some point, since BMW is planning an X4 M, as well as a GLC 350 plug-in hybrid diesel. The GLC Coupe will likely cost from around £35,000 when it appears sometime in 2016.