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
Add A Comment »
frazier500 says:
12:07 AM, 01/05/2010
@ cz75
While I know your comment was meant in humor, that one fog light is part of the cornering light system that has trickled down from the S-class. With the wheels turned under a certain speed, the corresponding fog light pools light on the side of the car.
dieseltc says:
05:00 PM, 01/04/2010
Two years too late... all the 20 something real estate agents and mortgage brokers are bankrupt.
And as long as MB only has an auto, no thanks. The A5 is the only coupe I have an eye on.
cz75 says:
04:29 PM, 01/04/2010
The illustrator included authentic Mercedes electrical glitches by having one driving lamp not functional.
rossofiorano says:
03:00 PM, 01/04/2010
oh dear. the c class coupe. anyone remember the, umm, thing that was the last gen c-class coupe? here's to hoping this one is nothing like that.
but why why why is mercedes setting this against the 1 class? looks a little big, but i haven't seen the whole of it. if anything this should be put up against the 3 series coupe. but, of course, the mercedes would hardly be a match for it though performancewise
i'm interested to see how these new coupes in the mb lineup do
jayparry says:
01:15 PM, 01/04/2010
Photochops are not news. What if i wrote a fake story? you are going to post that and call it news?
beermagazine says:
12:24 PM, 01/04/2010
This is a strange photo, since the E-Coupe is already based on a C-class why would they make the same car in a C-Class. If they are taking on the 1-series (which is due for a redesign, and the cartoony looks have grown on me with the sport package) it would have to be smaller than a C-Class since the 1 is way smaller. A C-coupe would take on a 3-series.
stangmatt66 says:
10:25 AM, 01/04/2010
How can Inside Line proclaim in the title that the C-class coupe has been "revealed" when all they show is a photo illustration by Nick Wilcox. FAIL.
aston_dbs says:
10:09 AM, 01/04/2010
Ahhh... Another over-priced MB that looks nice in the picture but not so sure in reality...
At this moment, IMHO, the best looking coupe out there is A5, followed by M3...
Pictures cannot do justice to both of those cars.
MB? Eh!
atenza94546 says:
09:42 AM, 01/04/2010
Most of the Merc Coupe are very attractive to female buyers. Well, most female buyer don't care about what blood type the car has. As long as it name Mercedes Benz, they will buy it. Just a like buying an LV purse.
cr_driver says:
09:13 AM, 01/04/2010
Since this article didn`t actually reveal any true photos, I`ll pass judgement till then.
Looking forward to those new engines....