Autoblog

Rumormill: Mercedes working on B-Class-based CLC Shooting Brake

Noah Joseph — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:59:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Rumormill, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Oh, Mercedes. When will you learn that the CLC was just a bad idea? BMW did so with the chopped-trunk 318ti, but Mercedes seems determined to make its counterpart work. To that end, the Silver Star automaker is reportedly working on a new derivative.

Drawing its inspiration from the CLS Shooting Break concept (pictured above) and its underpinnings from the B-Class, the CLC Shooting Brake (hopefully they'll get the spelling right this time) is expected to slot in below the C-Class Estate wagon, but presumably with a svelter roofline.

That doesn't mean they'll get the door count right though: the jury's still out on whether it'll be a proper shooting brake with three doors (like the existing CLC, but longer) or five doors like a conventional wagon. Engine options, meanwhile, are tipped to revolve around turbocharged fours, ranging from 108 horsepower and 1.2 liters to a 272-hp CLC22 AMG with 4Matic all-wheel drive. Sources expect the CLC Shooting Brake to arrive around September 2013.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break Concept

Gallery: Beijing 2010: Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept

[Sources: Autobild]

Rumormill: Mercedes working on B-Class-based CLC Shooting Brake originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG to bring 270 hp to the party

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

A few months back, word began to spread that AMG is working on a performance version of one of Mercedes' smallest cars. If true, it would not only mean giving the hi-po treatment to a segment hitherto untouched by the gents at Affalterbach, it could entail swapping a front-wheel drive hatch for a RWD platform. A month later, this small car's benchmarks were found out: the Golf R, Audi S3 and BMW 1 Series. And a month after that the rumors began to coalesce around the B-Class as AMG's subject of choice.

It turns out that the A-Class will be the first in line for an AMG makeover and the Ford Focus RS is also one of its targets. The diminutive Benz will get a four-cylinder, direct-injection engine with a pressure-wave supercharger that's looking at an output of somewhere around 270 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. That gumption will reportedly get to the wheels through a dual-clutch gearbox and then navigate yet more clutches in the rear-biased all-wheel-drive system.

A two-car line-up is planned: a five-door hatch and a CLS-like sedan. But we won't see any of this until 2012 or so, when the next-generation A-Class arrives. And the U.S. is only expected to get the sedan version, which will wear the name CLC, salvaged from the C-Class sport coupe that ended production not a moment too soon.

[Source: Autocar]

Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG to bring 270 hp to the party originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mercedes-Benz CLC hatchback is toast

Steven J. Ewing — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, South America

Mercedes-Benz CLC - Click above for high-res image gallery

Things aren't looking good for the CLC, Mercedes-Benz's small hatchback based on the last-generation (W203) C-Class platform. When the current-generation CLC was introduced in 2008, it never came to North America, mostly due to the underwhelming sales numbers that the original C-Class Sport Coupé garnered while in production. These cars have been moderately popular in other markets, but new reports state that the CLC production will come to an halt at the end of this year.

Currently, the CLC is produced at Benz's Juiz de Fora facility in Brazil, which will be undergoing changes in its production line. This plant will be repurposed to build the Actros, Mercedes' heavy-duty commercial truck, and no plans have been made to shift CLC production elsewhere. Reports suggest that we could see an all-new version of the CLC when the next-generation C-Class drops in a couple of years (probably not slated for the States, of course), but until we get the official word from Mercedes-Benz, we wish the little hatch a fond farewell. Top tip, Rodrigo!

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz CLC Class

[Source: WebMotors (translated)]

Report: Mercedes-Benz CLC hatchback is toast originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What the future holds for Mercedes-Benz coupes

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Mercedes-Benz

Click above for more rejected renderings of the Mercedes-Benz CLC

Mercedes-Benz took the easy route when it comes to making its current CLC, using the previous C-Class coupe as a starting point instead of engineering a new entry-level model from the latest C-Class platform. That may be about to change, as CAR is reporting that MB will introduce a proper C-Class coupe to replace the CLC. The new model will ditch the cut-off hind-end of the current car, which isn't quite as pretty as its competition from Audi and BMW. A soft-top convertible is expected to follow a few months after the new 2010 C-Class coupe is introduced.

Moving up the Mercedes line, a new E-Class coupe is also in the works to offer a direct competitor to the Audi A5. We wonder if a "shooting brake" style hatchback could be offered as well. In any case, the two-door will lose its CLK nomenclature in favor of being known simply as a coupe. Also dead is the CL moniker, which will be replaced with an S-Class coupe. In addition to the expected gasoline and diesel-powered models, hybrids are expected to be offered across the entire Mercedes-Benz range in an effort to lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz CLC renderings

Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLC

[Source: CAR]

What the future holds for Mercedes-Benz coupes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva '08 Preview: Mercedes to debut five new models

Noah Joseph — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:03:00 EST

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz CL500 4MATIC: click to view in high resolution

While we have four big auto shows every year in the United States - Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and New York - the Europeans get only two major shows, one in Geneva and the other alternating annually between Frankfurt and Paris. No wonder, then, that the big European automakers are descending upon Switzerland in full force, and Mercedes is no exception, coming to Geneva's Palexpo with no less than five new models.

Most of the new model debuts we've already told you about. There's the newly updated SL-Class roadster, which Mercedes will be showing with engines ranging from six to twelve cylinders. Its kid brother, the SLK, which we already saw in Detroit, will also be there with its facelift on. The new entry-level CLC will also be on display for the first time since its debut at the Berlin fashion show, along with the updated CLS four-door coupe. What we haven't told you about yet is the fifth model to debut at Geneva under the three-pointed star: the CL500 4MATIC. In case we've lost you by now with the various models bearing the letters CL, the CLC is the compact C-Class hatchback, the CLK is the mid-range coupe, the CLS is the slinky four-door and the CL is the big mama two-door version of the S-Class sedan. 4MATIC, meanwhile, is Mercedes' term for all-wheel-drive, finding its way into the big GT for the first time. The latest version of the system adds only 70 kg (154 lbs.) to the vehicle's curb weight, which relative to its existing heft is like spitting in the ocean, and helps the big coupe accelerate smoothly to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.4 seconds, while sacrificing no penalty in fuel consumption over the rear-drive model.

Check out the press release after the jump to read more about the Mercedes fleet pulling into Geneva next week, and the galleries below. including the new images of the CL500 4MATIC.

Gallery: Geneva 2008: Mercedes-Benz CL500 4MATIC

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz CLC Class

Gallery: 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLS

Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL

Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Geneva '08 Preview: Mercedes to debut five new models

Geneva '08 Preview: Mercedes to debut five new models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rejected Renderings: Mercedes-Benz CLCs that didn't make the cut

John Neff — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz

click above for more rejected renderings of the Mercedes-Benz CLC

The new 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLC is the Stuttgart-based automaker's second recent attempt at making a hatchback version of the C-Class sedan work. The first-gen model was sold in the U.S. in small numbers, but we're not expecting the newly renamed CLC to make it across the pond for Yankee consumption. We're not sure U.S. consumers would take the bait a second time anyway. Though Mercedes claims it has 1,100 improvements, the new CLC is still based on the old C-Class architecture, and thus does not share underpinnings with the new C-Class on sale in the U.S. It basically looks like the first-gen model with the nose of the new C-Class grafted on.

But there reportedly were other designs being considered. These renderings show what the new CLC could have been, nearly all of which feature more dynamic designs than the one that eventually got the nod. Perhaps if the 2009 CLC came out of the oven wearing one of these shapes, the U.S. market would be more interested in Mercedes' newest hatch. Of note, however, is that we have no idea where Carscoop sourced these renderings, so they may not be official ones from Mercedes at all, but they sure do look the part.

[Source: Carscoop]

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz CLC renderings

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz CLC Class

Rejected Renderings: Mercedes-Benz CLCs that didn't make the cut originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2009 Mercedes CLC Sport Coupe

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:34:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Mercedes-Benz

New spy shots have emerged of Mercedes' little C-Class 2-door, the newly renamed CLC Sport Coupe according to WorldCarFans. The front looks to get the same face as the new C-Class, but otherwise doesn't appear to bring anything especially exciting to the party. The interior is the same one that's been doing duty for years now, and the car is expected to use innards from the previous C just to keep the price down. We can expect new engines, including a fairly powerful V6 that should get this hatchback up and going with gusto.

We think Mercedes-Benz is missing a big opportunity to take on the BMW 1-Series in the very entry-level luxury sports car class that's just starting to get interesting. Clearly, however, a game of one-on-one with BMW in this segment isn't of interest to the Benz boys and girls, as the investment is this new CLC Sport Coupe appears to be minimal.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Spy Shots: 2009 Mercedes CLC Sport Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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