- Mercedes does not see sufficient demand to warrant a C-Class EV wagon.
- Head of Exterior Design, Robert Lešnik, bluntly declares: “No one is shopping for them.”
- Designers and journalists respect wagons, however that is not sufficient.
A couple of years in the past, wild rumors alleged Mercedes would do away with all wagons by the tip of the last decade to give attention to higher-volume merchandise. In keeping with reviews, the CLA Taking pictures Brake, C-Class Property, and the E-Class Property are the final of the long-roof breed. Though there was no official affirmation from Stuttgart, the corporate’s Head of Exterior Design is now portray a grim image.
Talking with Autocar, Robert Lešnik revealed that automobile designers and journalists respect wagons, however the actuality Mercedes is seeing is that “no one is shopping for them” anymore. Consequently, the German luxurious model is reluctant to approve for manufacturing a extra sensible tackle the electrical C-Class sedan revealed this week.
‘We now have three areas. No one is shopping for them in America; we tried the taking pictures brake [version] of the CLS and no one purchased it. The Chinese language don’t perceive them and don’t purchase them. Then Europe is left, and for those who have a look at a Mercedes E-Class, it’s fairly costly – so who can really purchase a automobile like that in Europe?’
2025 Mercedes CLA Taking pictures Brake
Picture by: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes nonetheless sells a C-Class Property with combustion engines and is about to provide the “S206” a mid-cycle facelift, which means it’s going to proceed for a number of years to return. Moreover, the brand new CLA Shooting Brake is out there with each ICE and EV powertrains, whereas the bigger E-Class shouldn’t be going anyplace in the intervening time. The beautiful CLS Taking pictures Brake is now, sadly, solely a distant reminiscence, nevertheless it’s unrealistic to count on a carmaker to promote so many wagons.
Taking a look at what the competitors is doing, BMW has lately teased an i3 Touring that might immediately compete with an electrical C-Class wagon if the three-pointed star had been to construct one. Then once more, Munich doesn’t have a rival for the CLA Taking pictures Brake, so it wants a mannequin that’s smaller and extra reasonably priced than the 5 Collection/i5 Touring. BMW is open to constructing one other 3 Collection wagon with combustion engines, nevertheless it hasn’t made any commitments but.
The electrical C-Class is taken into account the nameplate’s sixth technology, and if a wagon received’t comply with, it will be the primary of its variety to skip the physique fashion. Ever because the “S202” debuted within the mid-Nineties, Mercedes has provided an property model. The Slovenian automobile designer would like to hold the wagon flame alive, however demand simply isn’t there anymore. His favourite Mercedes? At the moment’s “virtually excellent” E-Class Property.
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Motor1’s Take: Even with out an electrical C-Class Property, Mercedes nonetheless has loads of wagons in its huge portfolio. It’s unclear what number of will reside to see one other technology, nevertheless it’s arduous to think about all of them disappearing by 2030. Maybe a smart answer can be to merge fashions, in the identical vein because the two-door C-Class and E-Class developed into the CLE Coupe/Convertible.
Wagons are victims of the SUV growth, and volumes communicate louder than the phrases of appreciation from journalists, designers, and fanatics. Mercedes sees match to give attention to the GLC to the detriment of an electrical C-Class Property, however a minimum of the gas-powered model remains to be round.
This lifted C-Class All-Terrain is simply as versatile because the GLC, and it’s positively the one I’d choose. Sure, I’m privileged to be residing in Europe, the place wagons are nonetheless in demand.
