Mercedes-Benz showed up at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show with two world premieres: the Concept Style Coupe and the new G-Class. During the press conference that introduced these new models - that was graced by a short gig from renowned English artist Jessie J - Mercedes CEO, Mr. Dieter Zetsche, stated that in order to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s leading car manufacturer by 2020, the house of the three-pointed star considers China as a key-market, and for this reason the German carmaker is working to improve even further its own distribution and services network in the country.

Making its first appearance ever in a motor show, the new Concept Style Coupe is a compact 4-door coupe developed on the same platform that generated the recent B-Class and is supposed to anticipate a future model that should end up adopting the CLA moniker. Measuring 4,639 mm in length, 1,398 in height and 1,891 in width, this concept car uses a well-thought mix of tight and rounded lines that conveys a sort of ’speed’ and ‘movement’ vibe: its front end looks especially sporty and aggressive, adding up to the overall sleek and elegant aesthetics of the car. Its exclusive 20″ alloy rims and the very concept-oriented wing mirrors will not be used for the final production version of the car, whose most sporty variants will be equipped with a set of 19″ alloys courtesy of AMG. Under the bonnet pulses a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine delivering 211 hp, mated to a 7G-DCT ‘dual clutch’ automatic gearbox and to the 4matic all-wheel drive system. Definitely worth mentioning is also its brand new Comand Online infotainment system, which exploits the ‘cloud computing’ to improve its own efficiency and make the ride more pleasant for the passengers.

The other important new Merc on display in Beijing is the new G-Class. The model retains the iconic design of the first Gelandewagen - simple, squared off and extremely functional - but its mechanical and electronic contents have been updated to live up to nowadays standards. Having won the ‘Offroader Of The Year” prize more than 20 times since its debut in 1979, the re-styled G-Class now comes with modern day LED technology at the front, revised wing mirrors and a pair of newly designed bumpers. However, the most dramatic change affected its cabin, where we find once again the Comand Online system as well as the Distronic Plus and the Blind Spot Assist (all of which are becoming standard features on all the new Mercs). The ‘500′ version of the revamped G-Class line-up will come with a 5.4-litre V8 delivering 388 hp and 530 Nm of peak torque, while the ‘350 BlueTec’ will be powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine producing 211 hp and 540 Nm. Moreover, two muscular AMG variants of the model will also be a part of the new range, namely the G63 AMG - equipped with a 5.4-litre twin turbo V8 delivering 544 hp and 760 Nm - and the outstanding G65 AMG, pushed by a frightening 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 credited with an output of 612 hp and no less than 1,000 Nm of maximum torque.

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Here are some pictures of the first mule for the next generation Mercedes Vito, which is probably being tested as a base for the new Viano as well. With that high bonnet and the massive grille, the pictured model appears to be quite aggressive in its shape - almost as it was some sort of AMG version - but it is quite likely that the design is just a temporary solution in order to fit a new engine and/or its cooling system in the mule’s body, perhaps with some testing equipment too.

The next Vito and Viano and Vito are expected to make their debut in 2013 or 2014, and there is also the chance that a Renault-badged version of the same model will also surface as the partnership between the two groups allows them to work together on both cars and transporters.

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