2012 Mercedes SLK Spied on video

This is one of the most extensive visuals we've gotten of the upcoming next-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK. This near five-minute video shows the SLK doing some testing in the United States escorted by a few big brother Benz models.

The car appears to be wearing Michigan plates although the topography in the video looks a lot more arid than that. The SLK is actually doing some hot-weather testing around Death Valley in the California-Nevada desert region.

Still wearing heavy camo, there's not much new to see, though. We've already covered the new design paradigm its flatter nose represents, borrowed from the SLS Gullwing.

As for a performance variant, Mercedes-Benz may want to offer a saucier, more mouth-watering SLK AMG than the current one. Perhaps with a direct-injection, turbo-enhanced V6 with improved power and fuel-economy numbers.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK is expected to debut sometime next year.