Consolidation of the C, E and S Class coupe and cabriolet models into a single replacement car seems confirmed – but Benz locally is steering clear of comment.

OFFICIAL confirmation from the factory is required to unlock local Mercedes Benz comment about a reported consolidation of three different sizes of coupe and cabriolet car into a single product line.

The coupe and convertible versions of the C-Class, E-Class (above) and S-Class being replaced by a new car, called the CLE, seems a given, with overseas’ media running images this week of a camouflaged car caught during cold weather testing that fits the remit.

According to Britain’s Autocar magazine, the CLE is coming on sale in Europe early next year and is based on a flexible platform, called MRA-2.

That underpinning is used by the latest S-Class large executive car already selling here and the much smaller C-Class sedan (below) which has just arrived in New Zealand.

Media drove the latest C200 and C300 sedans from Auckland to Northland yesterday, and will make the return journey today.

We cannot write about the NZ-market C-Class yet, due to an embargo that unrolls in two stages.

Pricing and specification will be released next Monday, February 14, while impressions on how they perform cannot be shared until February 28.

One big change for the 2022 C-Class is that it restricts to four-cylinder engines, some with hybrid assistance. The same policy is expected to apply to CLE, a culture shock for those whose present two-doors run four, six and eight-cylinder petrol engines.

Lance Bennett, Mercedes Benz NZ general manager, declined to entertain discussion about the CLE last night, saying it was not appropriate for him to offer any comment about potential new products prior to Germany having officially acknowledged them.

“There has been no announcement from us (Mercedes Benz). There is nothing we can add.”

He also declined to speculate on how receptive NZ customers for the current coupe and open-topped models of those C, E and S ranges might be for a one-size-fits-all offer.

He reminded a C-Class coupe and cabriolet, based on the platform divested by the new sedan, is still in production. The E-Class coupe and cabriolet only released in NZ last year.

The S-Class coupe and cabriolet ended production in 2020.

Those variants cumulatively represented a small portion of the local arm’s annual volume, Bennett said.

“But we do have a loyal customer base for coupe and cabriolet.”

Brand executives in Germany have spoken in the past of a need to reduce complexity in the Mercedes portfolio, reaching a high of almost 50 vehicles last year and only due to expand further still, with the rollout of EQ-badged electric models.

According to Autocar, Mercedes is consolidating its research and development spending on conventional combustion-engined models in favour of expanding its lineup with dedicated EQ-badged electrics.

The latter includes the EQS large luxury sedan that Bennett says is timed for availability here later this year, all going well. Also cited are models he preferred not to discuss: The E-Class sedan-sized EQE four-door and sports utility versions of it and the EQS. The magazine says all are due to reveal within the next 12 months.