2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC PHEV Spy Photos

Mercedes is readying the next-generation GLC-Class crossover, which will arrive with a variety of powertrains under the hood. One of those will be the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle variant, which our friends at Motor.es have captured out testing again. The spy shots show a crossover that looks like the others we’ve seen so far, but it is what’s under the hood that matters here.
 

The GLC line already has a PHEV option, and that’s expected to continue for the next generation. The GLC PHEV got a modest update for the 2020 model year that saw the crossover get a larger battery pack – 8.7 kilowatt hours to 13.5 – and a new 7.5-kW onboard charger, doubling the electric range to about 30 miles in Europe. There’s a good chance both of those figures could further improve for the next-gen model. The current GLC PHEV delivers a combined output of 315 horsepower (234 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-meters) of torque.
 

The next-gen GLC PHEV’s styling is hard to parse as it continues to wear a camouflage wrap, cladding, and stand-in lighting units. It looks nearly identical to the other GLC test vehicles our spy photographers have spotted out in the wild. The PHEV is expected to sport the same design as the rest of the lineup with a handful of PHEV-exclusive tweaks and touches. The spy shots reveal cutouts for fuel and charging doors on both rear fenders.
 

The updated GLC is expected to debut sometime for the 2022 model year, though the PHEV variant isn’t expected to arrive until the 2023 model year. The thick camouflage and cladding lead us to believe we’re still several months out from seeing the GLC PHEV in all its glory. The new GLC looks slightly larger than the outgoing model as it rides on the brand’s Modular Rear Architecture that will help lower the vehicle’s weight to counter all the added tech.