Additional information from Inside Line
U.S. enthusiasts can only hope the new AMG-massaged C-Class will come to the States. The most potent C-Class model currently sold here is the 2006 C55 AMG, which features a 362-hp 5.4-liter V8.

The car will look the part of a compact muscle car too, promises Mario Spitzner, AMG director of marketing and sales/branding.

"It would be sportier and more crisp in the future," he said. But don't expect full-on German Touring Car regalia. "The world doesn't need two M3s," Spitzner said.

That likely means the C63 will remain understated compared to its Munich rival, with ride and handling that are suitably refined for the three-pointed star.

"If you drive our cars over long stretches, you don't get out of them with a backache," Spitzner said.

That means not only comfortable seats, but a smoother ride and steering that emphasizes stability. "It should tell me what it is doing, but it should not scream at me," Spitzner said.

A C63 AMG wagon variant is promised as well, but not before model-year 2009. The standard C-Class, in addition to all-new sheet metal and an upgraded cabin, will continue to offer 4Matic and a choice of gas and diesel power plants to customers on both sides of the Atlantic. The first cars should reach U.S. dealers in fall 2007.