2011 Mercedes C-Class Coupe Revealed

SANTA MONICA, California — Two weeks ago, Inside Line broke the story that Mercedes will introduce a C-Class coupe in an effort to lure younger buyers and battle the successful BMW 1 Series. And now we have the first image of what the two-door just might look like.

As the discontinued but very popular CLK was part C-Class (chassis) and part E-Class (price), this time around Mercedes is doing things differently. This time it has a dedicated E-Class coupe (and E-Class convertible) and it will, for the first time, have a dedicated C-Class coupe, which we're told will be a 2011 model.

The plan is to take on the BMW 1 Series, which has done well luring in younger buyers that haven't made their first million yet. Surely the very successful, high-volume and iconic 3 Series is also targeted here, but this car is a direct reaction to the 1 Series, which has proven for the first time that there is a market for an affordable (but not cheap) premium rear-wheel-drive coupe in America. A market tried before by both companies with damaging results. Remember the 318ti hatchback from the mid-1990s and the C230 Kompressor hatchback of the early 2000s?

As the CL-Class and E-Class coupes are hardtops (no window frames or fixed side glass), we expect Mercedes to continue the body style with the C-Class coupe. However, others are speculating that Mercedes won't manage to do this at this lower price point and the C-Class coupe will have fixed rear side glass like the 1 Series, 3 Series and Infiniti G37.

Power will come from a new family of direct-injected DOHC V6s, including a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated version and a smaller unit with twin turbochargers designed to take on the turbocharged BMW 135i. Expect the turbo engine to produce just north of 300 horsepower. We also keep hearing about a hybrid version of the C-Class coupe, which would use a smaller naturally aspirated version of the V6.

Then, of course, there is the question of an AMG version. Remember, we reported two weeks ago that the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 that powers the AMG fleet will be replaced in 2011 with a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8. Well, that switch includes the C63, which means the twin-turbo V8 will fit very nicely in the new C-Class coupe.

Inside Line says: The BMW 1 Series is about to get some real competition. — Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief