- The turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder that generates 416bhp will be paired to an electric motor.

- The car will take on the upcoming BMWM3 Touring.

A new Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been officially presented recently and it’s clear that the new model doesn’t rock the boat too much in the looks department. The C-Class is a bread-and-butter model for Mercedes, but the hot C63 AMG and especially its estate variant seen here undergoing testing near the firm’s Nurburgring test centre, is an epic sports machine with few rivals. Our new shots show the car with a lot less camouflage.

Under that seems to hide a properly subtle evolution of the muscular estate. Modest scallops in the fenders will draw attention to the badging, and the new C-Class face with a clear AMG edge and the Panamericana grille will distance the C63 from its tamer brothers. The rest of the car, however, isn’t much different from the current model.

That might not be the case underneath. Obviously these photos are only skin deep, but there are rumours that the next-gen C63 would lose the bi-turbo badge. That’s because it will bid goodbye to the bi-turbo V8 that’s been thumping under the hood for some time, but that doesn’t mean the iconic AMG will lose its bite. The turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder that generates 416 horsepower for AMG’s A45 S could transition to the C63 and gain more power with a hybrid electric powertrain. It would need approximately 100 more bhp to comfortably exceed the current-generation C63’s output, but electricity can certainly deliver.

Still, a snarling V8 is as much a part of the C63 as its AMG badge, and it’s hard to guess how buyers would respond to such a move. Whether the mighty Merc’s future is a four-cylinder hybrid or a raucous twin-turbo V8, we can at least take comfort in knowing it should still look elegant, aggressive, and sublime.