Remember the old Mercedes C-Class Sport Coupe? While it never took off here in the States and was subsequently pulled from the lineup, it soldiered on in Europe where a new version will make its debut later this month. Heavily facelifted and likely sporting an overhauled interior to bring it more in line with the current C-Class, the C-Class Sports Coupe gets a new name to boot: CLC. A host of new and/or revised features will be included with the car, which retains the same basic platform of the original Sports Coupe. Sadly, none of those features is named Eva Padberg, who is shown using her gown to hide most of the bodywork (both hers and the car's) from prying eyes. Expect to see the rest of the car on January 27 when fashion week officially kicks off. [Source: Mercedes-Benz]
UPDATE: We've added a few more images to the gallery and the press release is now available after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE
Two stars in the photo studio: Top model Eva Padberg and the new Mercedes-Benz CLC
Leading model Eva Padberg and the new Mercedes sports coupé CLC share top billing in the key visual for the second Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, which takes place from January 27 - 31, 2008. The new CLC will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the fashion event.
The purpose of the key visual is twofold: It will be used as a motif on adverts, posters and event materials promoting the Berlin event, and at the same time will generate interest and a sense of anticipation in advance of the world premiere of the new CLC, because the photo reveals only part of the sport coupé. Most of the body is hidden by the vivid yellow fabric of the evening gown worn by Eva Padberg. The CLC will then be revealed in all its beauty on January 27, 2008 at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin 2008.
"The choice of Eva Padberg as our brand ambassador lends a fascinating face to our long-standing commitment to fashion," says Dr. Olaf Göttgens, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Like Berlin, she epitomises a young, modern lifestyle. That's why we are introducing our new sports coupé here, at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, and are presenting the CLC and Eva Padberg together in the key visual."
Eva Padberg has been representing Mercedes-Benz as a brand ambassador at international fashion and lifestyle events since May 2007. Her encounter with the new CLC was captured on film by the renowned German fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth, whose photos encapsulate perfectly the relationship between fashion and Mercedes design - both worlds in which innovation and perfection, coupled with elegance and style, are critical success factors.
Elegance, style and lifestyle: in the automotive world, the name Mercedes-Benz epitomises these values. The commitment to fashion is therefore a logical development of the Stuttgart motor manufacturer's traditional image and claim.
Just like fashion, the car is now an expression of personal lifestyle. This is particularly true of the highly individual and exclusive species of the coupé.
New Mercedes sports coupé is the attractive "youngster" of the coupé family
The new CLC, available from spring 2008, is an attractive and affordable entry into the Mercedes-Benz coupé family. The design, technology and equipment of the sports coupé meet the desire of young people for a car that is fun to drive and has a high lifestyle value, yet which also offers typical Mercedes standards of quality in respect of safety, comfort, environmental compatibility and functionality. 1,100 components have been either developed for the new sports coupé or refined from the previous model. The technical highlights of the CLC include new direct steering for even more nimble handling of bends, modern infotainment systems with colour display, Europe-wide DVD or hard-drive navigation with multimedia interface and a more powerful four-cylinder engine with 135kW / 184 bhp. Fuel consumption is up to 10.8 per cent better than in the predecessor model.
The key visual was shot in a studio near Barcelona, and features a black CLC with sports package picked out in a headlight beam. The coupé contains further exclusive technical innovations and extra fittings such as 18" light alloy rims, wide base tyres, headlights with black painted inner frames, sports suspension with lowered bodywork and chrome trim.
Top fashion designers present their collections
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin 2008 takes place from January 27 - 31, 2008 at Postbahnhof, the city's former mail train station. Leading international fashion designers will be presenting their latest collections, including the following brands: 30paarhaende, Heiress, Hugo, Intuitive, Joop!, Macqua, Michalsky, Marcel Ostertag, Sinemus, Stefan Eckert, Strenesse, Suzana Peric, Unrath & Strano, Sisi Wasabi and Zac Posen.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1337 @ Jan 8th 2008 6:08PM
Hey, an all new...last-gen C-class. Great.
Bling Bling Boy @ Jan 8th 2008 6:22PM
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
J M C 3 @ Jan 8th 2008 6:39PM
She's hiding the fact that the rest of the car hasn't changed.
seoultrain @ Jan 8th 2008 6:41PM
it really is a shame, as the car now looks very good, but doesn't have the internals to match. Though I guess the same can be said for the new C-class. It's a marked improvement, but still way behind the leaders of the segment. (C63 excluded, of course)
Kevin @ Jan 8th 2008 6:57PM
I suspect that the last one didn't sell well because it was ugly. It was also not very big, as I recall. The two or three that I've sat in (none recently) seemed to be pretty cramped, and I'm all of 5'11".
If this one were based on the new platform, were a bit roomier and was offered with at least the 3.5L V6, if not an AMG version of it, and a decent stick shift (something Mercedes seems to have trouble with, which, as a Mercedes enthusiast, is very disappointing), I think it could give the 1 series some competition.
edBMW Blog @ Jan 8th 2008 7:19PM
I don't think it will match the 1-series' performance. But time will tell.
Temple @ Jan 8th 2008 7:42PM
Honestly, is a artsy girl in a flowing yellow dress sitting on the car suppose to make it look classy? Looks corny to me.
Jeremy @ Jan 8th 2008 7:45PM
I remember a good deal of talk regarding the CLC being the convertible version of the CL class back when it was reported MB registered the moniker. Apparently that car will be named something else... Which is sad, because I'm far more interested in that than than a tiny C-class.
psarhjinian @ Jan 8th 2008 8:46PM
Does BMW still sell the 3-Series hatch in Europe? Wasn't the last version of that still using E30 rear suspension?
These kind of cars are popular in Europe. They're still pretty competitive, cheap to make and perform well enough. If the C coupe or 318ti had four doors I might've bought one instead of the Saab.
J M C 3 @ Jan 8th 2008 9:55PM
Mercedes is asleep at the wheel.They're a full model generation behind BMW in their answer to the X3 and they have no answer to the 1 series.This "CLC" is nothing more than the old "Sport coupe" with a current C-class face graft.Old stuff.
mba @ Jan 9th 2008 5:48AM
I can only second that. I'd even expand that to all segments except the SLK and the S-Class.
DCragtop @ Jan 9th 2008 2:00PM
I think her shoe-heel is caught in the wheel. Not a good deal. For real. But still, fashion week is what gets me into the dealerships. Yup. No.
Shrawan @ Feb 11th 2008 9:18AM
another version of this story can be found at http://benzinsider.com/