According to foreign media reports, Mercedes-Benz's product development for the new CLE series is nearing completion, and the new car will be expected to be launched in 2023, including the CLE Coupé coupé and the CLE Cabriolet convertible.
British media Autocar reported that Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch cle Coupé and CLE Cabriolet code-named C236 and A236 before the publication of the 6th generation E-Class. CLE will replace coupé, Cabriolet and other 6 models that originally included C-Class, E-Class and S-Class.
As the original factory shifted its R&D expenditure to Mercedes-EQ's pure electric models, such as the EQE and the EQE SUV and EQSUV to be launched within the next 1 year, the two-door and convertible product line, which accounted for a lower proportion of sales, was integrated. The original factory is about to slash the first knife to the S-Class Coupé and Cabriolet in 2020, and the C-Class, which launched in 2021, will only launch sedans and touring models.
The new CLE series will be built on the same 2nd generation MRA platform as the current C-Class, and is expected to be slightly longer than the C-Class Coupé's 4,686mm, bringing it closer to direct competitors Audi A5 and BMW 4 Series Coupé sizes.
According to the photos of the CLE Cabriolet camouflage test car captured by foreign media, it can be known that the new model will have its own unique appearance style, compared with the C-Class, its silhouette is more wild, and the appearance is more muscular. It is reported that the new car will also have the same B-pillar-free design as the current E-Class Coupé, and will also be produced at the Bremen factory in Germany as the C-Class.
In the interior part, cle can be expected to have a large digital instrument and a central touch screen compared to the S-Class and C-Class, but it may be ported to some future overhauls to E-Class's design style to differentiate the product positioning with the C-Class.
In terms of power – according to foreign media – cle will be equipped with inline 4-cylinder power like the current C-Class, including the general model and AMG version, and fully equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission; it is expected that the cle 63e 4Matic+ top performance model will also be launched in 2024.