Manufactures streamlining their product range, although nothing new, has, in recent years, been on the increase as a result of not only market and product demand, but also reducing unnecessary research and development costs. Range on a diet Along with fellow German brands Volkswagen and BMW, Mercedes-Benz has been not been immune from a line-up reduction as it announced plans at the beginning of 2023 to cut its model count from 33 to 14. So far, casualties have included the CLS and, most controversially, the coupé and cabriolet versions of the C-Class and E-Class.
ALSO READ: Two-doors here to stay as Mercedes-Benz debuts new CLE What’s more, the all-electric EQ brand will be phased-out next year – a move already set into motion by the next generation EV-only platform shelved and the electric G-Class being called the G580 by EQ Technology and not the concept denoting EQG. In addition, a report from Germany in September alleged that the coupé versions of the GLC and GLE are also facing the axe, while the hatch and Shooting Brake versions of the next generation A-Class have not been confirmed as of yet. From two to one Central to the Benz’s streamlining is the CLE, which doubles as a type of hybrid replacing both the soft-top and two-door versions of the now discontinued C-Class and E-Class.
Based on the same MRA2 platform as the current W206 C-Class, the CLE is more aligned towards the E-Class in overall dimensions, with Mercedes-Benz billing it, in coupé form, as f.
