Mercedes is one of the brands with greater extension of its range of models. They have copies in all body styles, from SUVs to sedans, through family members, coupes, minivans and even commercials. However, it seems that in the coming years it will change its strategy and will not cover as much field. In fact, the latest information suggests that Mercedes will remove almost everything that is not SUV of its vehicle offer, reducing the options available to customers by less than half.
Since car&driver they spoke with several managers in two of their German headquarters (Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen) and the information they got was really interesting. The quick summary is that, of the 33 bodies currently available between Europe and the United States only 14 of them will survive. Apparently, this measure responds to a unification for technological reasons. The brand of the star wants all its copies of the future to be prepared for receive extended mobility services and personalized.
Doing with a range as wide as the current one would be practically an impossible mission, hence the plan of reduce to less than half the bodies available. They don’t want to shoot without first having focused the shot a lot. His priority is not to make a car that only works in one market or that corresponds to a dying segment. And logically, the bodies with the highest volume are (and will be) the crossovers. That means practically say goodbye to relatives and coupes.
The farewell to the Class C and Class E in Coupé and Cabrio formats has already been confirmed, the traditional saloon and family will hardly remain. Between 2023 and 2024 they will be replaced for a Mercedes CLE, which will be the only two-door. In fact, the disappearance of the Mercedes CLS in 2024 and the four-door AMG GT for that same year or the following are also being considered. The SUV coupes would not be saved either of the brand, despite its pull. The GLC and GLE Coupe would only have the next generation.
From there, just around the turn of the decade other more mythical ones such as the C-Class and E-Class Estate will also be withdrawn, the next-generation Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will be the last of its class. They will focus on luxury cars, many of them under the Mercedes-AMG label, which will have different bodies. There the coupes and convertibles will remain, always in an electric format, in addition to other niche models such as the future G-Class, an ultra-luxurious van and other Maybach creations.
Source: Car&Driver
