The 2014 Mercedes C-Class (internally called BR205) has been spotted during its first winter testing and we can show you the clearest photos yet.

As we can see, the prototype is wearing heavy camouflage which makes it really hard to see any lines of the new design but at least the roof line is clearly visible. If we try to look beyond the camouflage at the front we expect there will be some influences taken from the F800 Concept Car shown in Geneva 2 years ago with a more marked front grille. Since the C-Class is the most important car for Mercedes they will not experiment too much with the design, but it still needs to look dynamic and sporty to give both the Audi A4 and the 3-Series from BMW a match.

The new C-Class will not only be offered with various petrol and diesel engines but there will also be a hybrid variant for the first time.

First out in 2014 is the sedan, followed by the wagon six months later. About one year after that we will see a coupe and convertible version as well.

And this time the C-Class will be produced in the US as well, the Alabama plant will build the C-Class alongside the GL and M-Class.