Mercedes Expects U.S. C-Class Coupe Sales to Be Incremental

KENNEBUNKPORT, ME – The ’12 Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe will account for just 10% of the nameplate’s U.S.-market volume, but those sales will deliver near- and long-term growth, a key brand executive says.

Though the all-new 2-door represents the first “true” C-Class coupe to arrive on U.S. shores, don’t expect the novelty to seduce C-Class sedan buyers, says Bernie Glaser, Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. general manager-product management.

“If you’re buying a coupe or a sedan, it’s a different buyer,” he tells WardsAuto at a media event here, noting the ’12 C-Class coupe is not a hatchback like previous C230 models.

Consider that the C-Class lineup, which now spans seven models, already enjoys the highest conquest rate of any nameplate in Mercedes’ U.S. showrooms, and the brand is poised for long-term growth, Glaser adds.

Lower Luxury cars, as defined by WardsAuto segmentation, are growing by leaps and bounds in the U.S. There are 25 model-year ’11 nameplates, compared with 17 in 2001. Only the Middle Luxury cross/utility vehicle segment, which added 11 nameplates in the same model year, is growing faster.

The Lower Luxury’s 3-point increase in car-market share since 2001 only is outpaced by Upper Small’s 6-point hike. Through August, Lower Luxury accounted for 10.5% of the U.S. car market.

The ’12 C-Class, which now consists of coupe and sedan versions of the C250, C350 and C63 AMG models, plus the C300 all-wheel-drive sedan, benefits from the most ambitious mid-cycle refresh ever undertaken by Mercedes, a move that comes one year ahead of the scheduled redesign of the BMW 3-Series, its chief competitor.

The refresh brings some 2,000 new parts to the C-Class. “When we give our engineers a chance to redesign, they take it seriously,” Glaser says.

’12 Mercedes C250 coupe features 1.8L turbocharged, direct-injection I-4.

About 1,500 of those new parts are found in the car’s interior, which Glaser describes as the “biggest revolution” from the outgoing C-Class. Among the additions are:

Further upping the ante, Mercedes is offering a panoramic sunroof as standard equipment.

Referring to Germany-based BMW, Glaser concedes, “our friends from Bavaria” dominate the Lower Luxury segment. Through September, C-Class sales totaled 39,263, some 22,000 fewer than the 3-Series, according to WardsAuto.

But one feature of the new C250 lineup could make for “some sleepless nights at Oktoberfest,” Bavaria’s world-famous fall beer bash. For ’12, Mercedes brings to the U.S. its M271 1.8L turbocharged, direct-injection in-line 4-cyl. engine, he says.

Rated at 201 hp, it can deliver 31 mpg (7.6 L/100 km) on the highway. And the I-4’s maximum torque of 229 lb.-ft. (310 Nm), available at 4,300 rpm, exceeds by 8 lb.-ft. (11 Nm) the peak twist generated by the 3.0L V-6 it replaces in the C350 sedan.

Mercedes last sold a U.S.-market 4-cyl. engine in the C230, in 2005.

The ’12 C-Class now is rolling into U.S. showrooms, Mercedes says. Coupes equipped with the auto maker’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system arrive early next year.

Mercedes never before has offered 4Matic in a C-Class coupe. But Glaser says it only is available with the 302-hp, 3.5L V-6, which this year adds direct injection for improved fuel economy.

The 60-degree V-6, which generates peak torque of 273 lb.-ft. (379 Nm), delivers 28 mpg (8.4 L/100 km) highway. AMG models feature a 6.3L V-8 that pumps out 451 hp and maximum torque of 443 lb.-ft. (601 Nm). Highway fuel economy is 19 mpg (12.4 L/100 km)

Sedan prices range from the C250’s $35,675 to the AMG’s $59,805. Coupe prices go from $38,095 for the C250 to $62,305 for the AMG.

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