When Mercedes-AMG put a four-cylinder hybrid in its C 63, it fell flat with buyers, forcing Affalterbach to ax it earlier than initially planned. Now, Mercedes is working on a new version with a straight-six, taking the fight directly to the BMW M3. Well, not directly – this will reportedly debut with the name C 53, matching the CLE 53, which makes 443 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, considerably less than the 523-hp M3 Touring. The wagon version has just been spied on the Nürburgring, and while what lies beneath the hood will be completely different, the bodywork’s changes will be relatively mild. There will also be updates to the cabin designed to make interacting with the car more physical. Let’s take a closer look.
New C 53 Sees Styling Revisions Front and Rear
SH Proshots/Autoblog
The entire front end of this prototype is covered in camouflage, from the bumper and hood to the fenders, the latter of which will have small fake AMG vent accents. The subtly bulging hood will flow into an updated fascia with a new grille design, either side of which the headlights are expected to gain star-shaped LED daytime running lights. The lower intakes will also be massaged slightly, with the side elements gaining a horizontal strake. Other than that, not much is changing up front. Further back, we see camouflage on the roof, but we don’t expect this to herald anything significant, while on the tailgate, camouflage covers the top half of the rear end, including the taillights, which are also expected to gain new LED motifs but otherwise maintain the same shape as before. Lower down, the diffuser will once more feature a quartet of exhaust tips, but there will be no obvious indication of the new powertrain. Finally, the cabin is reportedly being refreshed with a new steering wheel that has more physical buttons than before. This will be paired with an updated MBUX infotainment system.
AMG Is Also Building an Electric C 63
SH Proshots/Autoblog
Last year, our spies also spotted a pre-production development mule of an all-electric C-Class with AMG upgrades. This is expected to develop well over 600 horsepower and could be revealed before the end of 2026, which is also the timeframe in which we expect the combustion-powered model to arrive. Some reports had indicated that the C 63 could be temporarily killed off while Mercedes works on the new six-cylinder model, but this sighting of the C 53 version indicates that development is far along, meaning there won’t be a real gap for very long. Will customers react favorably to two more cylinders, or will the craving for a V8 persist, which the CLE Coupe is getting? Time will tell, but we’ll bring you more information as we get it.
SH Proshots/Autoblog
